Original Version of Uzumaki Naruto: Dawn of the Gamer
by Legend of the Kyuubi
Summary: At a young age Naruto grew up with little to no friends. Because of this he grew up with a love of video games. One day somehow he woke up with the ability to view life as a video game. Naruto has no idea what to make of this, but decided to make the most of it. Watch out world! The Gamer has arrived. Naruto/The Gamer Crossover. RPG and Naruto Game of the Year elements. Old Version
1. Chapter 1

**Uzumaki Naruto: The Gamer of Konoha**

This is a work of Fan fiction. All of the original characters, organizations, techniques, and events portrayed in this fictional literature are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictionally. Though the majority of the events and most characters take place in and are a part of manga artist Kishimoto's world Naruto.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any other manga or stories. I do have ownership of the techniques, the originality of this plot, the story I created and some others things in this story. But the elements from manga artist, etc I do not own.

Jutsu, Japanese translation: **Saigasho** (Crushing Fang Impact)

Normal speech: What the hell is this?

Demon/Summon or Fusion speech: **How should I know?**

Human Thinking: _You're over a millennia years old! Shouldn't you know this stuff?_

Demon/Summon: **_I only pretend to know everything! I look more badass that way._**

 **Summary:** At a young age Naruto grew up with little to no friends. Because of this he grew up with a love of video games. One day somehow he woke up with the ability to view life as a video game. Naruto has no idea what to make of this, but decided to make the most of it. Watch out world! The Gamer has arrived. Naruto/The Gamer Crossover. RPG and Naruto Game of the Year elements.

* * *

 **Author Note: Just letting you all know that this is the original version of the story readers wanted posted back. The newer and better version is called Uzumaki Naruto: Dawn of the Gamer.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Dawn of the Gamer**

Uzumaki Naruto yawned as he rose up from his bed and shook the cobwebs from his head. The blond then proceeded to wipe the crud from his eyes, waddled his way to the bathroom to take a shower and brush his teeth like clockwork. Soon after finishing Naruto picked up his clothes that consisted of a small white t-shirt, underwear, and a pair of orange shorts before putting them on and began making a simple breakfast before wondering what he should do today. Today was Saturday and therefore meant that he didn't have school. It also meant he got to sleep in, which was always welcomed.

Having just turned twelve today Naruto realized it would be a day he knew that many would avoid him like the plague more so than usual. Being twelve also meant that Naruto was in his final year in the ninja academy. When Naruto first thought of joining the academy and becoming a ninja, like most he thought he'd be learning awesome jutsu and going on missions to save damsels in distress or save a country from an evil ninja. Such thoughts and hopes went flying out the window after the first week and it only got worse from there as the years rolled by.

Like most orphans Naruto had been taught to read and write along with other basic needs to properly integrate into society. Though thanks to Naruto's hyperactive nature it took him longer to learn and perform such tasks and skills properly than most of the other orphans. Because of said hyperactivity, among a few other things, Naruto hated standing still and often skipped class to do some physical activity.

Because of this he was considered by most as a shoe in for the title of **Dead Last** when it was time to graduate by his peers and the teaching faculty. Some however doubted he would be able to graduate or become a ninja at all. Though if one were to ask Naruto he'd say he was the best ninja in the academy in a heartbeat.

"Ramen I love you but why must you take three minutes to make," the young boy whined as he stood in front of the microwave impatiently. Sipping on his milk carton as he did, though it tasted a little sour. Ramen had always been Naruto's favorite food for a few reasons. It tasted good, it was cheap and affordable, it was easy to make, he could eat it in several flavors, and it could be eaten for breakfast, lunch, and diner. The only thing he hated about it was the three minutes it took to make it.

Though if he was honest with himself Naruto wondered what it would be like to try new dishes once in while. He loved ramen, no doubt about it, but variety was nice too… unless it involved veggies then forget about it.

"Stupid merchants," Naruto grumbled.

Truthfully one of the only reasons Naruto ate mostly ramen, other than his love for it, was the fact that many of the merchants in Konoha either wouldn't sell anything to him or try sell to him at a higher price. Ramen was cheap and affordable and was often sold in large bulk.

Luckily for Naruto some stores had friendly employees that sold him what he needed at a fair price. Though in most cases some would end up being fired and the cycle would start all over again. It was from one of these stores that Naruto found one of the only few pleasures in life that he could afford: video games.

Video games were still relatively new in this day and age, having only really started getting attention for the last decade and a half, but they were fun to play nonetheless. The most awesome of which, in Naruto's mind, were RPGs as it allowed you to become anyone. Currently Naruto only had four of them, mostly older editions as they were cheaper, all from two guys called Akira Toriyama and Yujii Horii*.

Video games were popular mostly to civilians and some of the younger ninja in the Elemental Countries. Reasons being that civilians had it much easier than ninja and could afford such leisurely pastimes. Ninja not as much as once an Academy Student graduated and became a Genin they had little time to relax, and during those times it was often used for training or socializing with friends and family they might not see again.

Naruto had little to no friends. Sure he hung out with a few of his classmates such as Shikamaru and Kiba from the academy when they skipped class but other than that video games were the only things he could call friends at the moment.

Ding!

"Finally!" Naruto whopped as he took out his cup of ramen and began to devour the food like a ravenous wolf once it cooled down a bit, taking sips from his milk in between. However, just he was finished did Naruto's stomach start to growl and protest.

"Uh? What the-" Naruto had little time to think before he felt a gut punching feeling in his stomach. Looking at the milk carton still in his hand Naruto's eyes bulged as he found the culprit of his dilemma.

"Expiration date September 30th… That's almost two weeks ago!" Naruto shouted/groaned before he shuffled as fast as he could to the bathroom, hoping to make it to the toilet seat in time.

"Stupid asshole merchants!" Naruto groaned uncomfortably, it wasn't the first time that someone sold him expired food. Though in hindsight Naruto knew he should have read the expiration date first.

A couple of hours passed as Naruto's body purged itself from the expired milk before he felt capable of leaving the toilet. "Oh, god that was hell." Naruto gasped as he poured water into the sink to wipe his face with. Finishing Naruto grabbed a towel and wiped his face dry before he saw an unusual sight in the mirror.

"… Eh?" Naruto blinked in confusion. In the mirror above his head in blue letters was the oddest thing in the world.

" **Uzumaki Naruto - Academy Student – Lv 3"**

"Oooookkkkk," Naruto drawled, "Now the milk is screwing with my mind," he nodded thinking it was just a combination of his mind screwing with him and the expired milk.

"Next thing you know I'll have my own Status Window," he chuckled though it didn't last long.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Level: 3 Next Level: 350/1400**

 **Title: Academy Student**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 600**

 **CP: 975**

 **STR: 4 (5) = 9**

 **VIT: 18**

 **DEX: 9 (3) = 12**

 **INT: 30**

 **WIS: 5**

 **LUK: ?**

 **Perks:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP towards Chakra Control, - 20% Reputation gain with those below Neutral

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP towards Chakra Control

 **Prank King:** -10% Reputation with those below Neutral, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Status Effects:**

 **Malnourished:** Hampered physical growth rate, -25% to VIT, DEX, and STR stat base, +20% vulnerability to poisons

 **Description:** Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently an academy student with inspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. At the moment, Naruto is considered by many as a shoe in for the title of **Dead Last.**

 **Money** : 6500 Ryo ~ (650$)

 **Points:** 5

* * *

Naruto's mouth was agape in disbelief as he saw the status window. Before he could begin to freak out Naruto suddenly found himself calming down and thinking logically. "Ok, that just happened. What's the hell's going on?"

" **Do you wish to view** **the Help Guide?** "

 **(YES/NO)**

"Ok, I've had enough of this crap! It was funny at first now it's just plain creepy. **Kai** (Release)!"

"Ok, now time to… oh you're freaking kidding me, **Kai!** "

The concept of trying to get out of Genjutsu was still fairly new to him, to the whole class really except those from clans, having only just learned about it nine days ago. So when the illusion hadn't gone away on the first time Naruto had simply attempted it once more with more power than before.

"The hell! **Kai!"** Naruto grunted out.

" **Do you wish to view** **the Help Guide?** "

 **(YES/NO)**

Naruto cocked an eyebrow as a blue box suddenly appeared before him once more. Naruto was seriously starting to doubt this was a Genjutsu. Sure Iruka-sensei had said something about some being very elaborate and difficult to get out of but even this was pushing it. Who the hell would make a video game Genjutsu?

"Now that I think about it. Iruka-sensei did say that Genjutsu were meant to harm or psyc…psy… argh, attack your brain and make you feel bad or whatever," it was about one of the only things he really learned in that class as he along with a few others had fallen asleep during the lecture.

As far as he could tell the Genjutsu wasn't hurting him or make him relive bad memories like they were supposed to. Looking back up at the message that still floated in the air Naruto cocked an eyebrow.

"What is this anyway an RPG?" he wondered out loud before he answered, "…Yes?" Naruto said after a moment's hesitation, thinking it might trigger something bad, before the screen shined and flickered out of existence only to be replaced with another that revealed more information.

"Hmm… ok not a Genjutsu. Alright says here everything is activated by voice and touch command. That's convenient," Naruto mused as he continued browsing the Help Guide; his hesitation and caution slowly going away.

"Alright let's take her for a test spin," he grinned, "Skill List Window open!"

* * *

 **Skill List Window**

 **Passive Skills**

 **Gamer's Mind:** Lv Max. Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows peaceful state of mind. Grants one an immunity to psychological status such as Killing Intent and Genjutsu. Still affected by genjutsu from users 20 levels higher than you but still protected from psychological backlash. Strong and powerful Genjutsu being the exception depending on the users level and skill.

 **Gamer's Body:** Lv Max. Grants a body that allows for the user to live the real world like a game. HP & CP are fully recovered after sleeping in a bed, 75% in a tent, and 50% outdoors in a sleeping bag or makeshift resting place.

 **Passive/Active Skills**

 **Basic Academy Taijutsu:** Lv5. Next Lv 99/650. A basic form of martial arts that teaches one how to kick and punch properly.

• Passively grants +5 Strength

• Increases Strength by 2% during combat

 **Active Skills**

 **Naisho** (Stealth): Lv 5. Next Lv 455/650. An essential skill for all shinobi, this skill allows the user the ability to move around undetected. However, those with greater levels or senses than you will be unaffected by your stealth. **Hint:** Combine this with other techniques to greatly improve your stealth.

• Increases avoidance/un-detectability by 20% when active.

• Increases pick pocketing by 15% when active.

• Increases infiltration/lock-picking by 15% when active.

 **Henge** (Transformation): Lv 4. Next Lv 40/400. A basic technique that allows one to transform themselves into other objects; however, because of current level it will not fool everyone. **Uses 26 CP per minute.**

• Increases infiltration by 14% when active.

• Increases avoidance/un-detectability by 14% when active.

 **Kawarimi** (Replacement): Lv 2. Next Lv 99/150. A basic but useful technique nonetheless that allows the user to avoid harm by replacing themselves with other objects. **CP usage depends on substitute object size, range, and chakra.**

• Increases evasion by 12% for 10 secs when activated.

• Increases speed by 12% for 10 sec when activated.

 **Basic Shurikenjutsu and Kunaijutsu** (Basic Shuriken Techniques and Kunai Techniques): Lv 3. Next Lv 0/250. A basic and essential skill that all ninja should know if they wish to call themselves true ninja. This skill allows the user to properly wield and throw both shuriken and kunai during and outside of combat. While most ninja master only the basic forms of these aspects some clans or ninja are known to utilize more advanced forms.

Increases power of shuriken and kunai by 13% while in combat

Increases accuracy when thrown by 23% while in combat

Increases accuracy when thrown by 33% while outside of combat

Passively grants +3 Dexterity

 **Basic Cooking:** Lv 4. Next Lv 34/400. The ability on how to cook meals and how good it turns out. Current level only allows you to make simple meals such as instant ramen, boiled rice or eggs. **Hint** : Some meals can only be made when using a recipe or having watched someone teach you how to cook it.

Increases cooking speed by 14% (instant meals aren't affected)

Increases the success of creating a new basic level dish by 20%

Increases how well the meal taste by 4% (instant meals aren't affected)

* * *

"Cool," Naruto couldn't help but admire it all.

"Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Body huh? Guess that explains why I started thinking straight instead of having a meltdown… still weird as hell though that I'm able to view the world like it's a video game. Wonder if it's a Bloodline Limit or something?"

That last comment made him think. Part of him wondered if he should go and see Hokage-jiji to see if he could help with this. However, the other part wanted him to keep it a secret. It wasn't as if he could prove it and knowing the Old Man he would have someone keep an eye on him to make sure he was alright.

As much as the Old Man liked him telling him he had a video game based Bloodline Limit would force the Sandaime to potentially have to take drastic measures. We wouldn't want to but what choice would he have if he said something this crazy. Without proof to show it was best he kept it a secret till he found a way. Sure pranks were one thing but claiming you had a video Bloodline Limit was very different.

"Guess I should keep this on the down low till I figure this out," Naruto had no intention of potentially spending his life in a nuthouse.

 **For thinking things through in a rational manner your WIS has gone up by 1!**

"… I can increase my stats by doing stuff like that? Sweet!" Naruto whooped. "Ok, lets see what else I can do to bring my stats up… Huh, attributes. Ok, open."

 **Your attributes determine your strengths and weaknesses. The most common way for your attributes to increase is by leveling up. Doing this increases your attributes by a small margin. Another way to increase your attributes is by training or performing certain tasks. An example would be physical training which depending on what is being done will increase your Vitality, Dexterity, and Strength. Currently there are three training categories.**

 **Chakra Enhancement Training:**

 **Training method that increases your chakra, control, and potency of chakra based techniques.**

 **Physical Enhancement Training:**

 **Training method that increases your body's physical capabilities.**

 **Mental Enhancement Training:**

 **Training method that increases your mental faculties.**

"Ok, makes sense," Naruto nodded it was pretty straight forward as far as explanations went, unlike Iruka-sensei's lectures. "Ok, so what do attributes affect?"

* * *

 **Attributes**

 **Strength (STR):**

The Strength attribute determines the person's overall physical power. This attribute affects the amount of damage a person can inflict on another with Taijutsu, Kenjutsu, bladed, or blunt objects. It also affects a person's ability to reduce damage when blocking and affects the amount of weight they can lift, or throw.

 **Vitality (VIT):**

The Vitality attribute determines the person's overall health. This attribute also affects a person's ability to regain health outside of combat and resist specials types of damage from things such as poison, chakra draining, paralysis, burns, etc.

 **1 VIT = 25 HP**

 **1 VIT = .5 HP REGEN**

 **Dexterity (DEX)**

The Dexterity attribute determines the person's overall movement. This attribute affects a person's accuracy, evasion, speed, and ability to land critical strikes on an opponent in close, mid, and long range combat. Dexterity also plays a major role in pick pocking, stealth, use of weaponry and the ability to dual wielding weaponry properly.

 **Intelligence (INT):**

The Intelligence attribute determines the person's overall ability to think quickly and innovation. This attribute affects the strength of their chakra, how much they have, and how fast they can recover their chakra out of battle. It also affects the strength of a person's natural affinity, ability on creating variations, and a technique's overall power.

 **1 INT = 25 CP**

 **1 INT = .5 CP REGEN**

 **Wisdom (WIS):**

The wisdom attribute determines the person's common sense, perception, overall control of their chakra. It also affects their ability to learn, memorize, retain information, and determines how smart they are. Wisdom also plays an important role in learning certain skills such as Genjutsu and Medical Ninjutsu as well as defending from mental attacks.

For every 20 points of WIS the experience points gained increases by a %. In some cases WIS needs to be higher or lower for it to occur depending on the status they have.

 **Luck (LUK):**

The Luck attribute determines the person's overall chance. Luck is unique compared to all the other attributes as it is capable of influencing anything from finding or looting random items, winning money while gambling, to encounters and outstanding successes/failures (such as critical hits).

* * *

"Huh? A little different than what I expected. Yosh! Let's take this for a test drive," Naruto nodded before heading out the door. Carefully and silently leaving the building so as to not disturb the old man who ran the place. He was a decent guy, if somewhat cranky, but hated it when people made loud noises. More than once he kicked out a few people for that fact alone.

Naruto had almost gotten himself kicked out too but guessed that the fact that he was an orphan and was close to the Sandaime had left him off with a warning instead. Even then the man kept a watchful eye on him.

"Senile old fart," Naruto muttered.

"I heard that, brat!" the old man shouted from his room causing Naruto to flee like a bat out of hell.

" _How the freaking hell does he bloody do that, dattebayo?"_ the old man's hearing never seized to amaze and scare him. Naruto guessed the man either had wires all over the place or he was an ex ninja.

"Ok, let's see if anything interesting happens," Naruto muttered to himself before spotting a couple of familiar individuals. "What the?"

 **Nara Shikamaru – Nara Heir - Lv 9**

 **Akimichi Chouji – Akimichi Heir – Lv 8**

"Come on, Shikamaru. They're serving at half price for today only!" Chouji spoke between the chips he ate to his best friend about his favorite eating spot."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed, "You do know that they open at 11:30 right? It's still only 10:56."

"Yeah, but I heard some of my family are going to be there and I wanna be first in line to get in before they do," Chouji countered before began to drag Shikamaru, who barely or didn't bother to resist being pulled, to the restaurant. When it came to Akimichi and their love of food nothing stood in their way, unless they wanted to be missing a limb or too.

"Ok, so it's not just me who has a floating textbox above their head. Guess it's not a Genjutsu," Naruto told himself. Even if it was it wasn't doing anything to warm him so why bother fighting it.

Walking around the village Naruto continued to observe the villagers. From what he saw most of the civilians had levels ranging from 5 to 10 at best while ninja, with the exception of academy students, were a heck of a lot higher. From what he saw most of the Chunin had levels of 20 and 30, while Tokubetsu Jonin he saw had "?" while Jounin also had "?", some Jounin he saw had a golden leaf background on their names.

"I guess the "?" question mark means their levels are too high to see and the ones with the golden leaf means they're elites," Naruto pondered. He had seen this before during his video games and guessed the same concept applied here.

Question marks instead of a number meant the level was out of his league, while a background or symbols around the name meant they were not only high level individuals but much, much stronger than those with the same level. In short it meant don't screw with those guys until you were at least close to their level or had a large and skilled enough group to help you.

 **A special skill has been created through a special act.**

"What?"

 **Through continuous observation of others in order to find out more about them the passive/active ability "Observe" has been created.**

"Really? Yatta, dattebayo!" Naruto cheered suddenly, much to the confusion of some onlookers and much to his embarrassment when he realized he made a fool of himself in front of a crowd.

" _Note to self, be more discreet,_ " Naruto thought as he left for a more secluded area of Konoha. "Ok, let's see what we got here. Open skill list… ah here we go."

 **Observe** :Lv1. Next Lv 0/75. This skill allows the user to see the target's max HP, max CP.

"Hmm, basic, simple, and useful," Naruto noted. Looking around to see if there was anything he could use this ability on the young blond spotted a small creature.

"Here goes nothing. **Observe."**

 **Brown Rabbit – Forest Creature – Lv 1. NC**

"NC? What's that?" Naruto had never heard of the term or seen it video games before. Though he didn't have to wait long before his answer popped up.

 **NC "Non-Combatant"**

 **NCs are creatures or individuals with no fighting skill or little worth, as such they will not offer you any experience points. They serve little purpose. NC creatures however if defeated or killed will drop useful items such as meat or fur that can be used or sold. Doing this to NC civilians however will have serious consequences.**

"Well there goes that grinding idea," Naruto grumbled at the loss of easily leveling up. Sure the meat and fur sounded good, it would give him something else to eat and potentially bring in extra cash if he managed to find someone to buy them off him. But what was the point if you weren't going to get any experience points out of it.

"Crap, I also have to learn how to cook rabbit meat," Naruto wasn't the sharpest kunai in the pouch, but even he knew, thanks to Teuchi and Ayame, that meat from different animals was not supposed to be cooked the same way. Ayame said you technically could but it wouldn't taste anywhere as good or you'd get very sick.

"Ah, forget it. I don't have time to waste learning how to cook that stuff," he had a hard time learning about what was going on in the academy. He didn't need the extra hassle.

" _Ok, let's what else I can do this on,"_ Naruto thought just as he spotted the perfect candidate.

" **Observe."**

 **Umino Iruka – Ninja Academy Teacher - Lv 26**

 **HP: 1450 CP: 1450**

 **Observe skill has leveled up! You can now see more information and can use this on inanimate objects.**

"So it levels up the more I use it. Let's see it now, **"** he spoke softly as he opened his skill list once more.

 **Observe** :Lv2. Next Lv 20/150. This skill allows the user to see the target's max HP, max CP, and some information. Can now also be used on items such as weapons, armorThe more you level up the more information you can see. Individuals with huge levels gaps will have a question mark instead of a number, this will only go away when you have gained a decent amount of level.

"So it lets me see more info now. That's useful. **Observe,** " Naruto whispered as he looked at Iruka once more.

 **Umino Iruka – Ninja Academy Teacher – Lv 26**

 **HP: 1450 CP: 900**

 **Description: Umino Iruka is a dedicate Ninja Academy Instructor who hopes of passing on his wisdom to the next generation of ninja. Is also known as one of the only Chunin in Konoha who can catch Uzumaki Naruto through as of yet unknown means.**

Naruto's eye began to twitch as he read that last part of the description. Though he didn't like to admit it, it was true really. Most of the time when he pulled a prank the ninja who were sent to retrieve him were Chunin, which he more often then not managed to escape from. Sometimes the occasional Jounin would be sent to which he learned early on he was screwed. But whenever Iruka was sent his tactics didn't really work that well.

" _How the hell does he do it?_ "Naruto wondered.

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **How Does He Bloody Do It?**

 **Main Quest: Learn how Umino Iruka manages to catch you every time you've pulled a prank.**

 **Side Quest: Don't let Iruka figure out what you're doing.**

 **Main Quest Completion: 250 Exp**

 **Side Quest Completion: 50 Exp.**

 **Failure: 50 Exp**

 **Accept? (Yes/No)**

"Hmm, sounds good but I'd better look more into this. **Help Guide** ," Naruto called before locating what he was looking for. Just because it was similar to how video game quests did it didn't mean it followed the same rules.

 **For not rushing to complete a quest and thinking things through your WIS has increased by 1.**

"Sweet!"

 **Quests:**

 **Quests, sometimes called missions, are tasks given to players by others or appear spontaneously. Completing a quest or mission will result in rewards such as experience points, items and money. Most quests can be accepted or declined while others are mandatory and most be complete in order to proceed.**

 **Sometimes a side quest will be giving alongside the main one, these are purely optional but completing them gives a boost of rewards and can sometimes have drastic effects on future events. Some quests will allow you an unlimited amount of time to complete it while others need to be completed before a specific time and/or day or risk quest failure. A variation of a side quest known as hidden objectives will sometimes be posted, what these objectives are you need to figure out on your own, like side quests they can have drastic effects on future events.**

 **Completion of quests also boost ones reputation with the affiliated village, person or faction by a certain amount though sometimes it can decrease the reputation of something else such as an enemy village. Depending on the quest failure to complete it can result in penalties such as no rewards, negative reputation gain, lower experience points gained, the crippling injury status, or even death.**

Thinking nothing of it Naruto pressed on the "yes" button to accept the quest. The quests were pretty much the same as the video games he had. Though the side quest was somewhat new, still the extra rewards and exp were fine in his books.

Naruto also considered himself lucky really. This wasn't the first time he had spied on Iruka-sensei before. Iruka himself had fallen victim to a few of his pranks in the past with the only times he ever did get caught by the man was when he was actively looking for him after a prank, otherwise he was almost invisible to him.

Seeing him leave the store he was currently in Naruto began following the academy instructor from a good distance. Not too close that it would arouse suspicion but not too far that he would loose him sight of in the crowd, or if he made a turn somewhere he could not see him.

Seeing him enter another store, one where he wasn't exactly welcomed, Naruto decided to wait for him outside before he continued his quest. "Might as well see what else this Guide Book has in it."

Finding a an empty bench Naruto whispered the voice command and proceeded to look through the Guide Book for anything interesting, "Ok, let's see what else we got here. Ah, inventory!"

 **Inventory Box:**

 **The inventory box, a personal space-time technique, is where the items you are currently holding go to when not in use. This allows you to store a near infinite amount of items without having to carry them on your person and hamper your movement with the excess weight. To place an item inside just press it on the screen and vice versa when you want to pull it out.**

 **Note: Certain things cannot be placed in the inventory box such as a camp fire or living beings.**

" _That makes things easy,"_ Naruto thought before moving on.

The idea of not having to carry everything on him yet have everything he needed when he wanted it was a great thing to have. Though part of him thought it was a bit of overkill and unfair to others Naruto immediately squashed that thought. He was a ninja in training damn it! Their whole lifestyle was about being unfair, fighting dirty and not caring if they cheated. They weren't training to be samurai.

"Item Quality," he called out next.

* * *

 **Item Quality:**

 **Simply put, item quality is a relative indicator of how good an item is compared to another. The quality indicator is most often seen with a rank beside the name of the item. There are six types of item qualities in the world.**

 **Note: The higher the quality the greater the requirements needed to use it properly before being able to master it, not in all cases however.**

 **Poor Quality:**

 **Items that are considered the worst of the worst and barely even worth using, seen as junk by many. Such items are made of shady materials, poor craftsmanship, has rusted over or been worn down so badly that it can no longer be used properly.**

 **Common Quality:**

 **These are common items of decent quality that many use every day. Most items that fit into this category are basic kunai, shuriken, and some other forms of weaponry and armor.**

 **Uncommon Quality:**

 **These are the uncommon items, not everyone has them but have frequent enough usage. Most items that fit into this category are sealing scrolls, weaponry and items that can be used for making other things such as clothing, medicine or weapons.**

 **Rare Quality:**

 **These are the rare uncommon items. Items of this quality are either difficult or somewhat expensive to come by. Most usually grant a unique ability or a great stat booster for the user. Are made from materials that are difficult to acquire or buy, or require a great level of skill to create.**

 **Epic Quality:**

 **These items are considered one of the rarest of the rare. Items of this quality are extremely difficult to come by and create, sometimes they can be considered one of a kind and irreplaceable. Items that can be considered a part of this category are some of the swords of the Seven Swordsmen or scrolls that contain dangerous or powerful A-S rank jutsu from any style.**

 **Legendary Quality:**

 **These items are considered legendary in terms of power and unique ability they possess or are capable of granting individuals or other items, many of these being one of a kind.. Chances of coming across items of this quality are one million to one only those with incredible levels of luck are said to be able to find these. If you one many will call you a lucky bastard. Items that are considered to fall under this category are masterpieces or items used by legendary and ancient craftsmen or figures such as the Rikudo Sennin, Gorō Nyūdō Masamune, Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama etc. Some of these items possess sentience and will only allow specific individuals to wield or summon them.**

* * *

"Huh, lets see," Naruto thought as he took out a spare kunai from his pocket he had taken from the academy. "Observe"

 **Academy Kunai – Poor Quality**

 **A poor excuse for a kunai. The weight and sharpness of the kunai leave much to be desired. The blade is so dull that piercing or cutting something with it will be very difficult while the uneven weight of it lowers your chances of hitting your target.**

 **Attack Power: 3-5**

 **Accuracy: -20%**

"THE HELL!" Naruto shouted and cursed himself as he did before vacating his spot and jumped onto the roof of the store to hide. No sooner did he leave did Iruka come out of the store, and from the way his head was moving in every direction did Naruto guess he was looking for him.

"Strange? I could have sworn I heard Naruto," he heard his teacher mutter to himself. Shrugging his shoulders Iruka left the store and continued on his way.

"That was close," Naruto thanked whatever deity was looking out for him at the moment

"Whatcha doing, gaki?" a voice suddenly spoke from behind him.

"Bhwwammmmmm," Naruto tried to scream only to have his mouth covered by someone's hand.

"Rule number one about stealth, gaki; no screaming when following someone. Kinda defeats the purpose of the whole thing," the purple haired and scantily clad woman informed him.

Muttering " **Observe"** on her as low as he could Naruto was shocked by the result.

 **Anko Mitarashi – T &I Specialist – Lv ?**

" _Shit!_ " Naruto cursed his luck at the moment. It was easy to see that she was strong, easily way out of his league, and the fact that snuck up on him without him noticing only scared him even more.

"So again, whatcha doing following Umino, gaki?" Anko repeated.

"Um, trying to find out how he keeps finding me?" Naruto hesitated. He knew from experience that lying to Jounin wasn't a good idea, most knew when he was lying and often called him out on his bullshit.

For her part Anko only blinked before she grinned and laughed a bit, "That's it? Oh that's a good one."

Seeing him glare at her Anko realized he wasn't kidding, "Uh… really? Wow, you're serious aren't you? Yeah, not to bust your balls or anything, kid, but how the hell is following him around gonna get you the answer? You think he's just gonna talk about it willy nilly?"

"Uhhhhh," Naruto just realized he hadn't thought of that. "… Crap."

"Yeah… No offense, gaki, but you suck at information gathering. There are other ways, effective ones too, of getting information on someone other than following them. The fact that you weren't exactly being discreet allowed a few of us to see what you were doing from a mile away," she pointed out. "Hell some of us know when you're gonna do a prank."

"Bullshit! If that's true why don't your stop me?" he called her bluff.

"It gives us a good laugh watching those Chunin struggle to catch you, especially when they run into a few of your traps along the way," she grinned. "Besides it's fun to see them being brought down a peg. Quite a few of them think they're tough shit just because they made Chunin."

Naruto couldn't believe, and was having a hard time believing it, that some people actually liked his pranks. Seriously, most people hated him for his pranks, especially the victims.

"Just a heads up though, prank us and you'll be wishing for death, if not begging for it, got it?" her sadistic grin returned with a vengeance. One that made Naruto sweat and nod furiously. "Ok, we're good then, gaki," she patted and ruffled his head.

 **For agreeing with Anko on not pranking her or her friends your reputation with her has increased by 100.**

" _That's convenient,_ " Naruto thought. "Um, I don't suppose you'll help me then?"

Anko merely cocked an eyebrow before placing her hands on her hips, "And why would I wanna help you? What's in it for me?"

"Um, what do you want?" Naruto asked.

"What can you offer me?"

"Uhh, want me to prank someone for you?" even as he said it Naruto was thinking along the lines of, " _Nice move genius. Real smooth._ "

"Hmm, alright. But in exchange you owe me three pranks. No ifs or buts and no fuss. This is a take it or leave it deal; what do you say?" Anko offered.

Knowing that it was probably as good as this was gonna get, Naruto agreed. "Deal."

 **A special skill has been created through a special act.**

 **Through the art careful and successful exchange of services with another the passive ability "Bartering" has been created.**

Naruto forced himself not to drop his jaw at the sudden gain of an ability before focusing once more on Anko, **"** But can I add one thing? I don't want Iruka-sensei to know what I'm up to."

Anko merely shrugged, "Meh, I'm cool with that. You got yourself a deal, gaki. Wait right here while the Incredibly Sexy Anko Mitarashi does her thing."

With that Anko jumped off the building and began her pursuit of Iruka. Naruto thinking he had time to kill decided to look at his newly acquired skill.

 **Bartering.** Lv1. Next Lv 0/75. This skill allows the user to successfully barter with others in order to acquire certain services or information. Such things include the buying and selling of items, the exchange of information, or others, the higher the level of this skill the greater the success and rewards.

Note: Your wisdom and reputation with individuals, and their rank, will play a big role in the success of bartering.

Buying and selling price bonus are currently 5%

Increases your persuasion by 10%

"Uh, gaki," Naruto say Anko poking her head up the side of the building a sheepish look adorned on her face, "You wouldn't by chance know which way he went … would ya?"

Naruto gave her a deadpan look before pointing in the direction Iruka was last seen. " _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all,_ " he thought before going back to his **Guide Book**.

 **Challenges:**

 **Challenges are a set of specific task that are accomplished by the user. However, unlike quests which give exp and rewards, challenges only award experience points. Most challenges involve killing many of the same type of enemy, creating variations of a technique, mastering a set of techniques from a specific rank, etc. Other challenges are based around discovering hidden areas, hidden caches, looting enemies, traveling, and your own profession.**

 **Note: Challenges are only available once you reach level 15 and some challenges can only be done as you level up or accomplish certain tasks.**

"Ah, crap," Naruto hated when stuff like this happened. With him currently being at level 3, which was bullshit in his mind, it would take him quite a while before he reached level 15. Luckily he read that he only had to reach level 5 before he could start grinding in dungeons to gain experience points. As Anko still had yet to come back Naruto decided to look at any else that was useful for him to learn.

 **Mastered Condition:**

 **Mastering a technique takes time and dedication but is very beneficial for the user. Not only does it allow one to not only spend less time preparing a technique but also allows you to create your own variants of the technique. Mastering certain techniques will either add a bonus stat, unlock a hidden function, drastically reduce the cost of chakra needed, or increase the strength or duration of it. Keep in mind that the higher the rank of the technique the harder and longer it is to master. Additionally some techniques can be mastered but variations can't be created or will be more difficult to master due to higher power and requirements needed.**

Naruto was interrupted from his thoughts as a series of shuriken came sailing at him, though he managed to dodge a few several of them still managed to cut his clothes and gave him a few cuts. It didn't stop there however as Naruto soon felt the unforgiving cold iron pressed against his neck, threatening to slice and spill his blood all over himself and the roof he was one.

"Lesson number two about stealth, gaki: always be aware of your surroundings. You never know when someone else is sneaking up on you while you try to sneak up on someone," the familiar voice of Anko rang in his ears before the kunai she had at his neck was removed.

Naruto had realized then and there that it was twice that Anko could have killed him if she so wished.

Twice she could have killed him without him realizing it. Naruto wasn't as dumb as many thought him to be, he knew that Jounin were skilled, as evidence when they managed to catch him in the past, but if this was the skill of a Jounin it made him realize that as he was in need of some serious grinding.

"Oh, and the reason why Umino was able to find you is because he's one of the few ninja in Konoha that are sensors," Anko informed him.

 **[QUEST COMPLETED!]**

 **How Does He Bloody Do It?**

 **Main Quest: Learn how Umino Iruka manages to catch you every time you've pulled a prank. (Accomplished)**

 **Side Quest: Don't let Iruka figure out what you're doing. (Accomplished)**

 **Total Exp Earned: 300 Exp**

Naruto had to stop himself from jumping up and down at the completion of a quest, sure he hadn't gained a level yet but he was half way there.

"…You really need to stop spacing out like that, gaki. It's creepy, even for me," Naruto heard Anko say and before he could ask her what a sensor ninja was the woman had disappeared somewhere. Where she once stood was a kunai with a message.

"Don't forget, gaki, you owe me three pranks. And if you try to weasel your way out, well, you'll see," Naruto gulped before noticing another line, "PS. This message will self destruct in 20 seconds … WHAT!" Naruto screamed but was too late to evade the explosion that enveloped him.

When the dust finally cleared Naruto found himself covered head to toe in girly pink paint. When he finally managed to get home, after passing by a still laughing land owner, Naruto began washing the texture off him before he spotted the kanji for "Anko's little bitch" marked on his face.

"This means war! Nobody pranks the Prank King and gets away with it damn it!" Naruto vowed, all the while not knowing that Anko heard every word.

"Challenge accepted, gaki," she smirked.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Level: 3 Next Level: 350/1400**

 **Title: Academy Student**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 600**

 **CP: 975**

 **STR: 4 (5) = 9**

 **VIT: 18**

 **DEX: 9 (3) = 12**

 **INT: 30**

 **WIS: 7**

 **LUK: ?**

 **Perks:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards reputation gain

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP towards Chakra Control

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards reputation gain, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Status Effects:**

 **Malnourished:** Hampered physical growth rate, -25% to VIT, DEX, and STR stat base, +20% vulnerability to poisons

 **Description:** Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently an academy student with inspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. At the moment, Naruto is considered by many as a shoe in for the title of **Dead Last.**

 **Money** : 6500 Ryo ~ (650$)

 **Points:** 5

* * *

 **Author Note: Just letting you all know that this is the original version of the story readers wanted posted back. The newer and better version is called Uzumaki Naruto: Dawn of the Gamer.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Let's Level Up**

" _Soooo, bored,_ " Naruto sighed as Iruka went on one of his infamously lengthy lectures. The man's droning could cure an insomniac. Compared to what happened during the weekend, something Naruto had slowly come to accept, this looked even more boring than usual.

Six days had passed since Naruto had met both Anko and discovered his new, if not weird, ability. During that timeframe Naruto had decided to grind much of the skills he currently had as quickly as possible, which unfortunately was easier said than done.

On the plus side doing what he did he managed to increase stats. His Strength and Dexterity had gone up by 2, while his Intelligence, Wisdom, and Vitality went up by 1 each. It wasn't much but it was better than nothing. With the use of his available Attribute Points Naruto had managed to increase his STR by an additional 9 points, though now that he thought about it he probably should have put some into his WIS. Meh. He was still at a low level with plenty of time to level that attribute up rather quickly.

Naruto had learned through the **Guide Book** some skills leveled up more slowly than others. **Henge** however wasn't one of them. In a moment of generosity, Anko had told him that the Henge wasn't as useful in combat when going against most veteran fighters or those who relied on their senses as they could tell the difference between a Henge and the real thing.

Other skills Naruto learned, such as the **Observe** ability, which was now at level 6, and **Henge** , also at level 6, leveled up much more quickly than others. Naruto's Taijutsu, Shurikenjutsu and Kunaijutsu however had only gone up by two levels during that timeframe after spending as many hours as he could training in them. It was a school week, not that he cared much for it, and he needed to sleep to recover his chakra more quickly, and while he could ditch class Iruka was starting to become much less lenient for tardiness and those who dozed off in class.

The fact that he learned from the Guide Book that the value of experience points he gained from tasks he did before lowered each time he leveled up didn't help either. Naruto also learned that if his level was too high compared to another creatures or persons he wouldn't gain any experience points either, loot yes but no experience points.

Which sucked in his mind as unfortunately he had yet to reach level 5. The young blond had counted himself lucky that he had managed to level up by one level on Sunday and was currently at level 4, which gave him a good boost in stats but still had a while to go.

This had been thanks to a few daily quests, low experience but it stacked up, and one of the pranks he owed Anko. Apparently a Chunin had bragged about how he had tamed the Snake Charmer of Konoha, in other words slept with her, which was false but the man had a silver tongue and was very convincing.

Needless to say Anko thought he deserved his due diligence and had told Naruto to prank him hard. Naruto had managed to find out that the man was going on a date with an attractive woman and decided then to pull his prank. Luckily for Naruto the restaurant was more of a civilian hotspot than a shinobi one, thus no one managed to notice him in a **Henge**. Through careful planning and ingenuity on his part, Naruto had managed to make the man look like a fool.

Instead of drinking water the man drank diluted vinegar and ghost pepper hot sauce. Naruto counted himself lucky that the cups they served were dark colored so we wouldn't notice and he was too focused on his date that he didn't notice the smell. The man ended up burning his whole mouth whilst also spitting the contents onto his date, a good portion hitting her eyes and blinding her in the process.

While that was going on Naruto then snuck into the kitchen and added an extra ingredient to his meal: extra strength horse laxatives. It went without saying that the man was left a mess, literally and figuratively. By the end of the night the man not only ruined his reputation, and his pants, but Naruto was pretty sure he wouldn't be going on dates for a long while. Heck Naruto heard through the grapevine that the man wasn't allowed back at the restaurant again, and that it would be closed for cleaning for the next few days or so to get rid of the smell.

"NARUTO!" Iruka shouted loudly and suddenly at the blond that he fell out of his seat.

"Kuso!" Naruto cursed as his got back up. Sending a small glare at Iruka in the process. "What the hell was that for, Iruka-sensei?!"

"Language! And that was for daydreaming instead of paying attention in class," he said.

"Was not!" technically he was reminiscing but Iruka wasn't one for technicalities when it come to such things.

"Oh, really? Then you wouldn't mind telling me what I was talking about?" Iruka asked him.

"Uh… something about the Shodai?" Naruto hoped he was right.

Iruka still frowned, "… Right, but what exactly about the Shodai was I talking about?"

"Uh…" at this Naruto had no answer.

"That's what I thought. I'll let it go this time but pay attention," Iruka told him and then proceeded to go back to his lesson.

 **Your luck managed to hold out to help you avoid detention.**

" _Phew,_ " Naruto was relieved at avoiding that mess. The last thing he needed was detention on a Friday or weekend, those sucked. Naruto seriously had no idea why they were learning history, sure it was sometimes cool learning about who did what in the past. " _But_ _how is this gonna help me become a better ninja and win a fight?_ "

Looking at the clock Naruto saw that they only had five more minutes to go in history before their last class of the day, Dummy Training, began. To kill the boredom he began looking around the classroom.

" **Observe,"** he muttered.

* * *

 **Status Window (Chapter 2)**

 **Name: Haruno Sakura**

 **Job: Academy Student**

 **Level: 8 Next Level: 2865/5400**

 **HP: 200**

 **CP: 250**

 **STR: 4**

 **VIT: 8**

 **END: 10**

 **DEX: 15**

 **INT: 46**

 **WIS: 31**

 **LUK: 15**

 **DEF: 10**

 **Description: Haruno Sakura comes from a civilian family but is a very smart and talented academy student due to her near 5photographic memory and dedication. However, despite her intelligence, her physical conditioning is considered below average and her mindset is ill suited for a kunoichi in training. In addition, she possesses a short temper and can be easily riled up depending on the situation. She, like many of the girls in her class, has a crush on Uchiha Sasuke. Currently has the affections of one Uzumaki Naruto but has no intention of reciprocating them and finds him annoying.**

" _Ahh, man_ ," Naruto whined at that last part. The blond really had no idea why Sakura and the rest of the girls found Sasuke so appealing. Sure he was a good looking guy, not that he would admit it out loud though, but Naruto still didn't get why he got so much attention. Looking at him with his **Observe,** Naruto was left shocked at what he saw.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uchiha Sasuke**

 **Job: Academy Student**

 **Level: 11 Next Level: 2939/8800**

 **HP: 650**

 **CP: 725**

 **STR: 19**

 **VIT: 26**

 **END: 29**

 **DEX: 26**

 **INT: 32**

 **WIS: 23**

 **LUK: 10**

 **DEF: 20**

 **Description: Uchiha Sasuke comes from the famous and powerful Uchiha Clan, one of Konoha's founding clans and one of the most powerful clan in the world. After the massacre of his clan in one night, Sasuke became the last of the Uchiha Clan. From that day on Sasuke's personality changed drastically, throwing himself into his training, and began closing himself off from others, becoming a lone wolf. Considered a prodigy by many, Sasuke is rumoured to be a shoo-in for the title of Rookie of the Year.**

" _Damn,_ " Naruto felt sorry for Sasuke. Having a loving family and then having it taken away from you; Naruto didn't what was worse: growing up without a family, no memories of them, not knowing you were loved, or growing up with one only to lose all of them, going back home expecting to see them only to realize that they were gone and never coming back. It's still didn't give Sasuke the right to be a jerk, but Naruto understood him a little better.

" _Ok, fine Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme were always at the top of the class. Maybe it's just a coincidence,_ " Naruto thought before looking at his other classmates.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Inuzuka Kiba**

 **Job: Academy Student**

 **Level: 8 Next Level: 4776/5400**

 **HP: 550**

 **CP: 575**

 **STR: 19**

 **VIT: 22**

 **END: 23**

 **DEX: 30**

 **INT: 13**

 **WIS: 9**

 **LUK: 17**

 **Description: Kiba comes from a clan that is renown for their use of ninken and unique fighting style in combat. Though young and hot-headed, and not the sharpest tool in the shed, Kiba is one of the best in Taijutsu and outmatched only by Sasuke, but is still one of the lower ranking students in academics.**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Akamaru**

 **Job: Ninken (Ninja Dog)**

 **Level: 4 Next Level: 249/2100**

 **HP: 175**

 **CP: 150**

 **STR: 3**

 **VIT: 7**

 **END: 6**

 **DEX: 18**

 **INT: 7**

 **WIS: 6**

 **LUK: 14**

 **Description: A two year old ninja dog and Kiba's partner. Though young and appearing like a normal puppy Akamaru is quite intelligent and strong for his age and size.**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Yamanaka Ino**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Level: 8 Next Level: 3657/5400**

 **Title: Yamanaka Heiress**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 275**

 **CP: 425**

 **STR: 6**

 **VIT: 11**

 **DEX: 22**

 **INT: 17**

 **WIS: 22**

 **LUK: 13**

 **Description: Though not as intelligent as her rival, Sakura, Ino is still one of the top students at the academy. Ino is talented in her clan's teachings but due to her attitude and infatuation with Sasuke she isn't as far or as proficient as she should be. Ino is notorious for her gossip and fashion sense, very little happens in the academy that she doesn't know about.**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hyuga Hinata**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Level: 7 Next Level: 1490/4500**

 **Title: Hyuga Clan Heiress**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 350**

 **CP: 425**

 **STR: 7**

 **VIT: 14**

 **DEX: 26**

 **INT: 17**

 **WIS: 34**

 **LUK: 9**

 **Description: Hinata is a very kind but very shy young girl who comes from one of Konoha's four noble clans. Despite being trained in the art of the Gentle Fist at a young age, a renown and deadly taijutsu, Hinata's skill is lacking for reasons currently unknown. While not one of the best students in the academy Hinata is still one of the more intelligent students. While most of the girls in her class are infatuated with Sasuke, Hinata is attracted to someone else. Her love for cinnamon rolls is said to rival Uzumaki Naruto's love for ramen.**

* * *

" _You gotta be kidding me,_ " Naruto wanted to weep at the unfairness of it all. It was like someone slapping him in the face. As he continued to look Naruto realized that virtually everyone in his entire class were 3-5 levels ahead of him. With him having the lowest level.

"Alright, that concludes today's history lesson. Head on out to the practice field and do your warm ups," Iruka announced much to everyone's excitement. Practice field training was easily one of the more popular of lessons at the academy.

After a decent ten minute warm up Iruka called everyone to line up. "Alright, everyone, now before we begin physical training I decided to teach you a neat little trick. Today I'm going to teach you all how to balance a leaf on your forehead."

The silence that soon followed was enough for many to hear a pin dropping two blocks over. Most of the students were left flabbergasted, many of their faces reflecting their emotions.

"You're kidding right? What the hell kinda training is this?" Kiba asked with Akamaru agreeing with his master.

"Language!" Iruka chastised before taking a leaf, placing it on his forehead and to the surprise of everyone it didn't fall off. "Did I forget to mention that you'll be keeping it there with only your chakra?"

At the awe of the display, Iruka smirked. The act of doing this has been a long standing tradition at the academy when the method was first introduced. Tell the students about a training exercise they thought was lame and then make it look cool and leave them dumbfounded. Even Jounin did it.

"Now the concept is simple. What you do is focus your chakra to your forehead and onto the leaf to make it stick. Too little and the leaf will fall off, too much and the leaf will be blown away," Iruka explained as he began giving each of the students a leaf. "Now don't be surprised if some of you don't get this right away. It takes a while to get the hang of it. Begin."

One by one the students began the exercise while Iruka inwardly smirked at the cleverness of it all. It was true that this exercise was a way to teach students how to control their chakra more effectively. However, the true purpose of the exercise was actually to hone the individual's concentration and to keep their mind from becoming distracted. Many of the teachers told students that those who worked hard on this ability to concentrate can become excellent shinobi.

The last part was more or less a white lie really and more so of a motivator for students to give them confidence and strive for excellence. Though it sometimes backfired as some students had higher levels of chakra and couldn't accomplish it as fast as others.

Looking around Iruka wasn't surprised to see Ino, Sakura, and Hinata having little to no trouble with the technique. Both Ino and Hinata came from clans where chakra control was crucial, more so from the Hyuga Clan while Sakura had a natural talent for chakra control based off of her demonstrations of the basic academy three. Though Iruka suspected that her low levels of chakra also played a factor. They were still slightly higher than a regular civilian due to her father being a former Genin, but still low nonetheless.

Looking past them Iruka saw that Shino and Sasuke, while not as good as the girls, were making some good progress. Sasuke was a prodigy so it came as no surprise. Shino he heard took to his clan's techniques like a fish took to water so like Sasuke the boy could considered a prodigy, a less known one but a prodigy nonetheless.

When Iruka saw Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Naruto attempting it he was not surprised that they weren't faring that well compared to the others. Shikamaru he saw wasn't really trying and looked like he wanted to quit, Chouji he saw try for a bit before he adopted his friend's method, while Kiba and Naruto almost looked constipated. Iruka merely sighed at those four.

The four of them were easily the lower end tier students for good reasons. Shikamaru barely put any effort into anything except napping and cloud watching. Chouji was like Shikamaru only with more emphasis on food. While Naruto and Kiba were just dense, it was harsh but true. In terms of academics they were the lowest students, but in practical they were slightly above average, Kiba moreso due to his clan training. Between them most of the other students fared either well or not so well.

While Iruka continued to observe his students a certain blond prankster was regretting a choice he made earlier, " _Should have put those Attribute Points into my WIS instead of my STR,_ " Naruto lamented.

Truthfully he hadn't thought much of it at the time seeing as how he was at a low level and he would have an easier time leveling up when he reached level 5. When that happened he would simply put the points he earned into his WIS. Unfortunately, Naruto didn't take into account that they'd be learning a chakra control exercise today. Add to the fact that one of the perks he had made him learn chakra control forty percent slower than others, Naruto knew that this wasn't going to go as smoothly as he wanted.

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed as the leaf fell off his head once more. Because of his low WIS stat, and his perks, his chakra control sucked, plain and simple. The leaf would either slip or be blown off his head.

 **A special skill has been created through a special act.**

 **By training to control your chakra you have learn the active ability "Leaf Concentration Practice Method" has been created**

 **Leaf Concentration Practice Method** : Lv1. Next Lv 24/75. The most basic form of chakra control methods, this skill allows the user to better control their chakra. The more you level up the less chakra spent and wasted. **Uses 20 CP per minute.**

Number of leaves that can be held in place: 1

Passively increases your WIS by 1%

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Better Control**

 **Main Quest: Level up the "Leaf Concentration Practice Method" by 2 by the end of the day.**

 **Side Quest: Bring the Leaf Concentration Practice Method all the way up to level 5 or more by midnight.**

 **Main Quest Completion: 350 EXP, +2 WIS**

 **Side Quest Completion: 250 EXP, +1 WIS**

 **Failure: 200 EXP**

 **Accept? (Yes/No)**

" _Not gonna be easy but it's one step closer to getting leveling up,_ " Naruto accepted the quest. The additional 600 EXP was a great welcome in his mind and it would help with his chakra control, another plus.

Naruto continued to complete the exercise for an hour long before Iruka told them to stop what they were doing. Naruto groaned as he only managed to bring it up to 63/75, it was definitely harder than it looked.

"Alright, everyone grab a kunai and shuriken set. You have twenty minutes to practice before the accuracy test starts," he announced while some of the students groaned.

" _Crap!_ " Naruto realized that with all the grinding he had been doing during the weekend he completely forgot about the test. " _Ok, come down. I leveled up my "Shuriken and Kunai Techniques" by 2 this weekend and by DEX by another 4 because of it,_ " he recalled.

God he loved Gamers Mind.

Opening up his Skill List Window, Naruto took a gander at the technique.

 **Basic Shurikenjutsu and Kunaijutsu** (Basic Shuriken Techniques and Kunai Techniques): Lv 5. Next Lv 341/650. A basic and essential skill that all ninja should know if they wish to call themselves true ninja. This skill allows the user to properly wield and throw both shuriken and kunai during and outside of combat. While most ninja master only the basic forms of these aspects some clans or ninja are known to utilize more advanced forms.

• Increases the power of shuriken and kunai by 15% while in combat

• Increases accuracy when thrown by 25% while in combat

• Increases accuracy by 35% outside of combat

• Passively grants +5 Dexterity

Truthfully Naruto didn't know if it was good or not but for some reason he felt confident.

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Ready, Aim, Fire!**

 **Main Quest: Score at least 70% on the accuracy test.**

 **Side Quest: Score 90% or higher on the accuracy test.**

 **Main Quest Completion: 200 EXP, +1 DEX**

 **Side Quest Completion: 150 EXP, Increased Reputation with Iruka, Shuriken and Kunai Skill Increase by 1**

 **Hidden Objective: 150 EXP, "?", "?"**

 **Failure: 100 EXP, Decreased Reputation with Iruka**

 **(Quest is Mandatory)**

"Naruto! Quite daydreaming and grab your set!" Iruka shouted at him.

Embarrassed Naruto quickly ran over to grab a set before a thought popped into his mind, " **Observe."**

Looking at the kunai and shuriken sets Naruto's suspicion was right when saw quite a few with the " **Poor Quality"** rank **.** "Hey, Iruka-sensei, what's with these shuriken and kunai? They look off."

"Hmm? That can't be right," Iruka stated before testing them out himself. "Your right the balance and sharpness on some of these are all off. These things should have been thrown out. Some of the older ones must have accidentally gotten them mixed up with these ones. I'll have to inform the older students to be more careful when they organize them next time. Thanks, Naruto. In the meantime you can use my set."

 **Hidden Objective Completed!**

 **For notifying Iruka about the poor kunai and shuriken your reputation with him has increased by 100!**

" _Hell yeah!_ " Naruto couldn't believe his luck that he managed accomplish the hidden objective without trying. Using **Observe** on his teacher's kunai set Naruto was pleasantly happy.

 **Standard Issue Kunai and Shuriken Set – Common Quality**

 **Young or old, kunai and shuriken are a ninja's best friend. The weight and sharpness of these tools are perfectly balanced allowing for good piercing, slashing and accuracy when thrown.**

 **Attack Power: 9-12**

 **Accuracy: +10%**

 **+3 DEX**

 **Observe skill has leveled up! You can now see more information on a person or item.**

Grinning like a fox at his incredible luck Naruto set out to practice as much as he could before the test began. Already as he launched the kunai and shuriken did Naruto feel a difference. Instead of bouncing off like they usually would the kunai and shuriken stuck to the dummy and flew smoothly towards the target. Adding his increased STR to the equation the tools were wedged in there pretty well.

As the blond continued to practice he didn't notice a set of narrowed eyes fixated on his form. How the demon managed to notice the poor quality sets he wouldn't know but it meant that he would most likely be getting a better grade in accuracy now. He'd have to find some other way to hamper him.

By the time the twenty minutes of practice were up Naruto was feeling very confident. When he looked back at his Kunai and Shuriken skills he noticed that he had gained almost a little over 120 EXP towards it. Naruto could only guess that the use of proper tools and the fact that he hit the target more often and more towards the bulls-eye made him sped things up much more quickly.

As he watched the students go by one by one Naruto wasn't surprised that Sasuke had once more gotten perfect with both portions of the test. Ever since the start of the academy Sasuke had been able of doing it. " _Lucky teme,_ " Naruto frowned.

"Uzumaki Naruto! You're up," Iruka announced. "First is the Kunai Accuracy Test, you have five shots."

Looking at the targets Naruto smirked before taking aim and then shooting the kunai at them one by one. To his surprise and the surprise of others Naruto struck home on all five.

"A perfect five. Well done, Naruto. You've been practicing I see," Iruka congratulated. "Now for the Shuriken Accuracy Test. This time you have ten shots."

At this Naruto began to worry a bit the shuriken test was harder due to the fact it was not only had a smaller hit zone but also because the shuriken curved unlike the kunai which could only travel linearly. Shaking it off Naruto took his place, breathed in and out, took aim, and fired the metal stars one by one. The first four hit home, the fifth unfortunately missed along with the eighth, while the others struck home one more.

"Well congratulations, Naruto, you passed with 90% accuracy," Naruto jumped for joy, screaming at the top of his lungs while many looked on perplexed.

While it wasn't uncommon to see anyone other than Sasuke get a perfect on the kunai portion, it was the easiest one, but the fact that Naruto, the bottom student, managed to do so surprised them. If one included the fact that Naruto just managed to pass the Accuracy Test with a 90% the whole thing was baffling. Some wanted to say he cheated, some did, but others realized how was it possible to cheat at this. Eventually the majority of them thought it was nothing more than a fluke.

 **[QUEST COMPLETED!]**

 **Ready, Aim, Fire!**

 **Main Quest: Score at least 70% on the accuracy test. (Accomplished)**

 **Side Quest: Score a 90% or higher on the accuracy test. (Accomplished)**

 **Hidden Objective: Notify Iruka about the "Poor Quality" gear. (Accomplished)**

 **Total Rewards Earned:**

 **500 EXP, +1 DEX**

 **+200 Reputation with Iruka**

 **+1 Shuriken and Kunai Skill**

 **Standard Issue Kunai and Shuriken Set – Common Quality**

If possible Naruto's grin got even wider. Nothing was gonna bring him down from this high.

"Ok, everyone now it's time for the written portion of the test. Remember this is worth 50% while the physical portion is the remaining percentage," Iruka announced.

Well that would do it. "WHAT!"

"Just kidding," Iruka smirked at some of their faces. That one never got old in his mind.

"Not funny, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto fumed and vowed to get him back later. Though when a quest alert popped up and informed him such a quest would lower his reputation with the instructor Naruto decided not to do it and declined.

"All right everyone that's it for this week have a nice weekend," many of them cheered and whooped as they left the academy.

"Here's your set back, Iruka-sensei," Naruto held the pouch.

Iruka however merely smiled, "Keep it. Consider it a reward for your hard work. It looks like you've been working hard. I have spares anyway. Just try to be careful with them alright."

Naruto merely grinned before equipping the set. As he was about to head towards his favorite ramen stand Naruto remembered that his **Observe** ability had gone up and decided to test it out.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Umino Iruka**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Level: 26 Next Level: 24347/30500**

 **Title: Chunin Ninja Academy Teacher**

 **Specialization: Sensor Ninja**

 **HP: 1450 (400) = 1850**

 **CP: 1725 (250) = 1975**

 **STR: 42 (30) = 72**

 **VIT: 58**

 **DEX: 45 (47.5) = 92.5**

 **INT: 59 (10) = 69**

 **WIS: 90 (22+20+20%) = 158**

 **LUK: 30**

 **Defence: 105**

 **Perks:**

 **Chunin Academy Teacher: +2 INT & WIS Per Lv, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Teaching skill, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards skills**

 **Journeyman Sensor: +5 WIS & +2 INT per Lv, +25% EXP & Effectiveness towards Detect Presence, +25% EXP & Effectiveness towards Detect Bloodlust**

 **Equipment:**

 **Konoha Headband (Common Quality, Durability 30/30): +15 Defense, +100 additional REP per successful mission with Konoha (must be loyal)**

 **Chunin Outfit (Chunin Rank Required, Uncommon Quality, Durability 60/60): +65 Defense, +400 HP, +15% EXP Gain, +10 STR & DEX**

 **Standard Shuriken and Kunai Set (Uncommon Quality, Durability 50/50): 15-24 Attack Power, +25% Accuracy, +10 DEX, +5 STR**

 **Academy Instructor Certificate (Lv 15 and Chunin Rank Required, Uncommon Quality): +20 CP per Lv, +2 WIS per Lv, "Teaching" skill is 25% easier**

 **Standard Chunin Footwear (Chunin Rank Required, Uncommon Quality, Durability 40/40):): +25 Defense, +10 DEX, +15% movement speed, 10% Kicking Power Increase**

* * *

 **Most Notable Skills:**

 **Chakra Echolocation: Lv. MAX, Mastered.** A Senory Ninjutsu that allows the user to pulse their chakra in a wide radius and see everything in it except those suppressing their chakra.

• Sense others in a hundred meter radius

• Allows "Detect Bloodlust"

• Allows pinpoint accuracy tracking on one specific target

• Passively grants +10 WIS

* * *

 **Water Walking Exercise: Lv. MAX, Mastered.** An advanced form of chakra control that also allows you to walk of water. **Uses** **10 CP per minute.**

• Allows you to walk and run on water.

• Passively grants +10 INT

• Passively grants +20 WIS

• Passively grants +20% WIS

• 20% less chakra wasted on techniques

* * *

 **Chunin Taijutsu: Lv.7, 368/1150.** A more advanced form of Taijutsu that allows for more maneuvers and better techniques to be used.

• Passively grants +15 STR

• Passively grants +7.5 DEX

• Passively grants +15% STR in combat

• Passively grants + 7.5% DEX in combat

* * *

 **Basic Shurikenjutsu and Kunaijutsu: Lv. MAX. Mastered.** (Basic Shuriken Techniques and Kunai Techniques):

• Increases power of shuriken and kunai by 25% while in combat

• Increases accuracy when thrown by 30% while in combat

• Increases accuracy when thrown by 60% while outside of combat

• Passively grants +10 Dexterity

* * *

"Ok, that a lot of info. Let's see if I can compress it somehow. Ah, here we go," Naruto said as he looked at the box before. While he liked his " **Observe"** ability the amount of information shown was too much for him. Luckily there was a check box for each category that was shown. "Ok, only show equipment and skills when asked," he checked off before looking it over again. "Much better."

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Umino Iruka**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Level: 26 Next Level: 24347/30500**

 **Title: Chunin Ninja Academy Teacher**

 **Specialization: Sensor Ninja**

 **HP: 1450 (400) = 1850**

 **CP: 1725 (250) = 1975**

 **STR: 42 (30) = 72**

 **VIT: 58**

 **DEX: 45 (47.5) = 92.5**

 **INT: 59 (10) = 69**

 **WIS: 90 (22+20+20%) = 158**

 **LUK: 30**

 **Defence: 105**

 **Perks:**

 **Chunin Academy Teacher: +2 INT & WIS Per Lv, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Teaching skill, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards skills**

 **Journeyman Sensor: +5 WIS & +2 INT per Lv, +25% EXP & Effectiveness towards Detect Presence, +25% EXP & Effectiveness towards Detect Bloodlust**

Naruto had to admit that Iruka-sensei was stronger than he originally thought and the sensor perk he had explained a lot, especially from what Anko told him. Shrugging it off Naruto focused his attention elsewhere and decided to take the opportunity to go to Ichiraku Ramen to see Teuchi-oyaji and Ayame-neesan. It had been a while since he managed to get some ramen from the stand and today was a special occasion.

"Oi, Teuchi-ossan! One extra large bowl of pork ramen!" Naruto announced upon arrival.

"Extra large, huh? What's the special occasion?" the man asked as he and Ayame began preparing the dish.

"It's not a prank is?" Ayame smirked at Naruto.

"What? No. I passed my accuracy test today with a ninety. Here look, Iruka-sensei gave this as a gift."

"Wow, a ninety… Alright who are you and what have you done with the real, Uzumaki Naruto?" Teuchi asked.

"Oi!"

"Just kidding, kiddo," Teuchi chuckled as he and Ayame continued making the dish, "Here, this one's on the house for such a good job."

"Yatta!" Naruto couldn't believe his luck today. Muttering a quick prayer Naruto began devouring the ramen bowl with gusto.

" _Yeah, that's Naruto alright,_ " if there was any doubt of him being their best customer it was gone now.

Looking at his ramen Naruto decided to test out a theory, " **Obsvre."**

"No talking with your mouth full," Ayame threatened him with a ladle.

"Swowy."

"What did I just say?!" she conked him.

"Ow!" he groaned before focusing on the ramen.

 **Extra Large Ichiraku Ramen – Pork**

 **Restores 550 HP and 100CP.**

 **Status Effect: Unhealthy**

 **Description: Famous Ichiraku ramen made by ramen chef Teuchi. Though a delicious meal and healthier than most ramen it's still not healthy due to the high amount of sodium, carbohydrates, and a great lack of other essential nutrients, not recommended to eat multiple portions.**

Using " **Observe"** on the **Unhealthy** status effect Naruto wished he hadn't afterwards.

 **Unhealthy:** Food that lacks the essential nutrients needed in order to live properly and support a healthy growth. Occasionally acceptable to eat but when eaten repeatedly and in great quantities over a long period of time it gives the status effect **Malnourished.**

" _And like that my good mood is gone,_ " Naruto solemnly thought, it explained the **Malnourished** status effect he had. Ignorance was bliss many had said and right now Naruto wished he hadn't done what he did. It didn't ruin ramen for him; Hell would freeze over before that ever happened, however, it did make him realize that if he was ever going to get rid of that status effect he'd have to start eating better.

" _Oh, great. Now I have to start eating veggies,_ " he grimaced. Veggies were easily his most disliked food group. It was basically like eating hay, " _But if I wanna get stronger I have no choice but to eat less ramen … this sucks!_ "

However, this presented him with another challenge. " _Who can I get to teach me?_ "

As it was his **"Cooking"** skill was basic and only allowed him to make simple stuff. Sure cooking an egg and boiling rice were no problem, it was like the basic of the basics. Other stuff he would need help to make. He also didn't have that much money and only got a biweekly stipend of 2000 ryo for groceries and sometimes clothes and gear. Luckily Konoha's Orphan Support Act paid for his rent till he became a Genin.

Looking at both Teuchi and Ayame Naruto used " **Observe"** on them to see if either one could teach him.

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Ichiraku Ayame - NC**

 **Job: Civilian**

 **Level: 7 Next Level: 2435/4500**

 **Title: None**

 **Specialization: Civilian Sous Chef**

 **HP: 200**

 **CP: 150**

 **STR: 6**

 **VIT: 8**

 **DEX: 10**

 **INT: 6**

 **WIS: 25**

 **LUK: 10**

 **Defense: 0**

 **Perks:**

 **Sous Chef:** +25% EXP, Speed & Effectiveness towards " **Cooking** " skill, +25% Effectiveness & EXP towards " **Culinary Utensils Handling"** skill

 **Status Effects:**

 **N/A**

" _Ok, Ayame-neechan is a maybe. Now let's see… what the!_ "

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Ichiraku Teuchi**

 **Job: Civilian**

 **Level: ?**

 **Title: Master Chef**

 **Specialization: ?**

 **HP: ?**

 **CP: ?**

 **STR: ?**

 **VIT: ?**

 **DEX: ?**

 **INT: ?**

 **WIS: ?**

 **LUK: ?**

 **Defense: ?**

 **Perks:**

 **Head Chef:** +30% effectiveness, Speed, & EXP towards " **Cooking** " skill, +30% effectiveness & EXP towards " **Culinary Utensils Handling"** skill, +20% effectiveness & EXP towards " **Teaching Cooking** "

 **?:**

 **Status Effects:**

 **Permanent Crippling Injury:** -90% to all stats but WIS, ?, ?

Naruto winced as he saw the " **Permanent Crippling Injury"** status effect. He had read in the **Guide Book** that one usually got it when failing certain higher rank missions, facing someone who was levels above them, or making a sacrifice. To make matters worse Naruto remembered it saying that the status started out less severe and could be healed by someone skilled enough to treat it, otherwise it would gain the permanent status and become irreversible. Naruto just hoped it didn't happen to him or those he knew.

"Naruto-kun, you ok?" Ayame asked as she saw his dazed looked.

"Huh? Oh, fine, Ayame-neechan," Naruto smiled.

"Naruto, I know you long enough to know when you're lying," Ayame said knowingly.

"…Crap," Naruto knew he was busted. It was something Ayame instinctively knew about him.

"Spill," she commanded.

"I … I wanna know how to make things," it wasn't a total lie really but Naruto wasn't ready to tell anyone about his ability yet. The fact that he could see Teuchi's stats and perks meant there was more to him than just being a ramen chef.

"… That's it? Why didn't you say so before?" she asked.

"Embarrassed," he mumbled. "Will you teach me?"

Sadly Ayame shook her head, "Sorry, Naruto-kun. Dad and I have our hands full managing the shop, our suppliers and other things. We don't have the time unfortunately."

Naruto was disappointed but nodded. He understood that not many had the time to teach others. Looks like he would need to find someone else.

"However… wait right here," Ayame left momentarily before coming back three minutes later with a book, a bag, and a rolled up bag. "Here it's not much but it'll help you get started. This cooking book is what dad gave me when I began learning how to cook, the bag has a few ingredients to help you get started and the rolled up one is my old knife and utensil set. The knives are old but well kept and I added a book on how to take care of them."

"Really! Thanks, neechan!" Naruto hugged the adolescent brunette.

After a few more bowls, he could have eaten more but Ayame cut him off, and 340 ryo less, Naruto left his favorite ramen stand and headed on home. He did have a quest to accomplish before the day was over.

* * *

(Naruto's Apartment Next Day: 8:47AM)

 **You have slept in a bed. Your HP and CP have full recovered.**

"Ugh," a half awake Naruto groaned as he stirred in his bed. Naruto would honestly say he was shocked that it had only taken him a night's rest for him to regain all his HP and CP. In fact Naruto realized that he usually still felt slightly sore or tired the very next day but now he didn't feel it, especially after what he managed to accomplish last night.

It had taken him quite some time, difficulty, and mental strain, but he finally managed to get his " **Leaf Concentration Practice Method"** all the way to level 5. He almost didn't during the last hour and needed to eat almost all his ramen to restore his CP. In the end it was worth it too as not only did he gain +3WIS, and another 4WIS for practicing chakra control, but he only needed 50 EXP to be able to start grinding.

Muttering a few words a blue window opened in front of him and he smiled.

 **Leaf Concentration Practice Method** : Lv5. Next Lv 02/650. The most basic form of chakra control methods, this skill allows the user to better control their chakra. The more you level up the less chakra spent and wasted. **Uses 15 CP per minute.**

Number of leaves that can be held in place: 5

Passively increases your WIS by 5%

"Close," Naruto muttered before he proceeded to go to the bathroom and take a shower. Ten minutes later came out and put on some clothes and proceeded to the kitchen to make breakfast. "Oh, right. My ramen's almost gone."

Spotting the book Ayame had left him Naruto decided that now was as good a time as any to start learning. As he picked up the book something occurred that he didn't expect.

" **Would you like to learn Basic Cooking Recipes?"**

 **(YES/NO)**

Thinking nothing of it, even if it was slightly weird, Naruto pressed on the "YES" and watched as the book flashed and disintegrated into a multitude of light particles. Suddenly, Naruto felt a rush flow through his head before several windows popped up in front of him.

 **You learned several "Basic Egg Recipes"**

 **You learned "Boiled Rice Recipe"**

 **You learned "Fried Rice Recipe"**

 **You learned "Miso Soup Recipe"**

 **You learned "Porridge Recipe"**

 **You learned "Basic Ramen Recipe"**

 **You learned "Basic Udon Recipe"**

 **You learned a few "Basic Chicken Recipes"**

 **You learned a few "Basic Beef Recipes"**

 **[Quest ALERT!]**

 **Cooking for Dummies**

 **Main Quest: Successfully make a bowl of boiled rice and a fried egg.**

 **Main Quest Completion: 50 EXP, Daily "Cooking" quests will become available.**

 **Failure: 25 EXP, Total loss of daily "Cooking" quests.**

 **Accept? (Yes/No)**

"Awesome!" Naruto whooped before covering his mouth and hoped the landowner didn't hear him. When he didn't hear any shouting from the old man Naruto merely grinned at his luck. Accepting the quest Naruto remembered what just happened and decided to open up his **Guide Book**. Looking through it for a minute or so he spotted what he was looking for.

 **Skill Books and Scrolls**

 **Much like some skills can be learned by being taught by instructors and teachers, other skills can also be learned through scrolls or books such as recipes, or forgotten techniques. Whenever you learn from a book or scroll the item in question is destroyed in the process so it's best that you make a copy of it first if possible as it may be irreplaceable. Some skills in scrolls may conflict with certain skills you possess such as Taijutsu and will require you to eliminate the existing technique before you can learn a new one. In some cases however you can "Polymerize" certain techniques to prevent this.**

 **Note: Scrolls and books based on theory cannot be learned. Some contents from scrolls or books can only be learned when you meet the proper requirements such as stats, lineage, gender, etc.**

Pressing on the word "Polymerize" Naruto's **Guide Book** took him to another section.

 **Polymerize/Augment**

 **Polymerization or augmentation is the act of combining two or more fighting style in order to make a technique more powerful. This will result in a hybrid Taijutsu style that while not all techniques can be learned from both parent styles takes the most compatible ones and allows you to make new ones too.**

 **Note: Both fighting styles must be similar and compatible with one another otherwise the act will not work. The more fighting styles combined the more difficult and longer it takes to level up and master. A person can only polymerize fighting styles when they master the Advanced Academy Taijutsu and when they reach level 15.**

"Huh, guess that means I'll have to be careful on what I learn," Naruto didn't need to worry or focus too much on it at the moment though as he was still on the Basic Academy Taijutsu.

As Naruto was about to get start on his latest quest he recalled the other book Ayame had left him and like before the book evaporated into particles of light.

You learned the " **Culinary Utensils Handling"** skill.

 **Culinary Utensils Handling:** Lv 1. Next Lv 00/75. Allows you to properly maintain, repair and use your cooking utensils. Allows for finer cuts and precision to be made as you level up.

Increases sharpening speed by 5% & retain sharpness by 10%

Increases utensil care and maintenance by 5% & durability by 10%

"Not the greatest skill in the world but, eh?" Naruto shrugged. "Ok, lets see… huh?"

 **Select Recipe**

 **You chose "Boiled Rice and Fried Egg Recipes"**

 **Regents/Ingredients Required:**

 **Two Eggs, Plain Rice, Hot Water, and Basic Utensil and Knife Set**

 **Estimated Cooking Time: 15 Minutes**

 **Success Rate: 85%**

" **YES/NO"**

As soon as he pressed yes Naruto soon felt himself going through the motions of preparing his meal, almost like he was going on autopilot, yet at the same time he still felt himself aware of his surroundings. The feeling was both foreign and familiar as if he had done this many times before.

 **You successfully made "Boiled Rice" and "Fried Egg"**

 **Boiled Rice**

 **Restores 50 HP and 0 CP.**

 **Status Effect: N/A**

 **Description: A simple bowl of boiled rice, plain and simple to make, usually combined with other dishes to make it tastier. Not the greatest meal in the world but not the worst either**

 **Fried Egg**

 **Restores 25 HP and 0 CP**

 **Status Effect: N/A**

 **Description: A simple fried egg … not much to say really.**

 **[QUEST COMPLETED!]**

 **Cooking for Dummies**

 **Successfully make a bowl of fried rice and a fried egg.**

 **Main Quest Completion: 50 EXP, Daily "Cooking" quests will become available. (Accomplished)**

 **Total Exp Earned: 50 Exp**

 **Congratulations! You've leveled up! You are now level 5!**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Level: 5 Next Level: 15/2800**

 **Title: Academy Student**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 1000**

 **CP: 1650**

 **STR: 15 (5) = 20**

 **VIT: 31**

 **DEX: 17 (6+3) = 26**

 **INT: 51**

 **WIS: 15 +(%5) =15.75**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 10**

 **Perks:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards reputation gain

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP towards Chakra Control

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards reputation gain, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Status Effects:**

 **Malnourished:** Hampered physical growth rate, -25% towards VIT, DEX, and STR stat base, +20% vulnerability to poisons

 **Description:** Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently an academy student with inspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. At the moment, Naruto is considered by many as a shoe in for the title of **Dead Last.**

 **Money** : 6500 Ryo ~ (650$)

 **Points: 4**

* * *

 **Congratulations! You are now able to enter dungeons and learned the skill "Instant Dungeon Creation!" and "Dungeon Escape"!**

Grinning madly Naruto finished his breakfast, which while not as tasty as ramen wasn't half bad really. Looking at his newfound skills Naruto took some time to go over them.

From what he learned about the **IDC** skill it allowed him to make dungeons from wherever he was but his current level had no control over the levels of creatures inside them at the moment. In this case it meant that he'd only be able to go against creatures of his level or lower till he brought the IDC skill to a certain level.

When Naruto thought about others getting hurt when using it his fears had been put to rest when he read that the technique basically created an alternate dimension alongside this one and created powerful **Illusion** **Barriers** tokeep others from noticing its creation. Unforutnately, it also said that if was very close or in contact with him they'd also get transported and risk getting stuck in the dimension. One that made it similar to the surrounding area he was in and made it so no one such as civilians got hurt except for those he allowed in. On the plus side the **IDE** allowed him to escape from dungeons he created whenever he wanted, pure and simple.

" _The only downside is that I have to wait a whole 12 hours before creating another dungeon,_ " Naruto thought it sucked. " _Why am I getting the impression some other forces are trying to make sure I don't get too powerful too fast?"_

Regular dungeons he discovered he needed to wait 48 hours before he could go back in but even then it allowed him to go from one level to another three times before he was forced out. However, Naruto found out that unlike **IDC,** regular dungeons were smaller, could only be entered at certain levels, had varying enemies levels, didn't have as many enemies as an **ID** , and to get out you needed to complete the level by accomplishing specific tasks or defeating the level's boss.

"So which one should I go into first?" Before that train of thought went far Naruto remembered something very critical. "Crap! I don't have decent equipment!" Sure the kunai and shuriken set he got from Iruka were good but he knew in video games that one needed a decent amount of protection, weapons, and items in order to survive. The fact that such things were very pricy didn't help and all the decent equipment was well guarded and under lock and key.

As it was Naruto didn't have enough to buy either weapons or armor protection unless he wanted to go without food for a while. "Ok, let's see. IDC at the moment is not only bigger but also will only allow me to go against weaker enemies at the moment, if things get too tough I can use **IDE** to get out. In regular dungeons however I'll be facing stronger enemies and have to finish through it before I can leave or risk loosing half my current EXP and money if I wanna leave. Better go with the **IDC** first."

 **For thinking things out…**

"Yeah, yeah. My **WIS** goes up I know," Naruto closed the window before it finished. "Better get my stuff ready first."

The whole process of getting all of the things he needed took Naruto a little over an hour before he was ready. During that timeframe Naruto had equipped his kunai and shuriken set and sharpened them, earning the " **Maintain Equipment"** skill in the process. Naruto had also prepared a few more dishes, leveling up his " **Basic Cooking"** skill in the process to restore his HP and CP whenever he got the chance.

"Ok, I have two bowls of **Fried Rice, Boiled Rice with Fried Egg,** three **Boiled Eggs,** one **Miso Soup** and one **Porridge.** I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Naruto knew it was now or never. Getting out of his apartment Naruto went into an alley and called out, " **Instant Dungeon Creation** ".

The experience was one Naruto would never forget as the world around him flashed a bright white color and the next he saw red. Red. It was the most accurate description he could come up with. Gone was the blue sky with wisps of white clouds, gone was the clean and well kept building. In their place was a dark and dreary place with a black and red sky, cracked buildings that looked like they were falling apart, some of which were ablaze. It was as if Konoha had gone at war and lost or was badly damaged.

"Ok, was not expecting this," Naruto had to admit this was a little unsettling. The whole place reminded him of a few of the undead levels he played in video games; the one with ghost and zombies. Zombies Naruto could deal with no problem, ghosts on the other hadn Naruto would freely admit he was scared shitless about them. Not only were they incorporeal, which meant trying to harm them was almost impossible, but they followed you everywhere.

"Please don't let there be ghosts," Naruto hoped his luck would hold out as he carefully made his way through the alley.

"Mweooaoarr!" was all Naruto managed to hear as he rounded a corner, the sudden sound of a trashcan being knocked over by the black cat that ran off who knows where scared the living daylights out him. "Stupid cat! You better hope I don't find and learn a recipe with you as an ingredient!"

As he was about to continue on Naruto spotted something of potential use, " **Observe"**.

 **Lead Pipe – Common Quality**

 **Blunt Weapon**

 **Durability 40/40**

 **A discarded lead pipe commonly used for plumbing or other forms of waterworks. Though there's nothing extraordinary about this item it's surprisingly durable and can be used a weapon. Has decent length and is fairly balanced.**

 **Attack Power: 13-17**

 **Usage Requirement: 18 STR**

"Well, it's not a sword but it's better than nothing. Welcome to the team… I'm so glad nobody saw me talking to a pipe."

"Ughhhhhh."

"…Eh?"

"Ughhharrggh," the voice continued to groan.

Turning on the spot, Naruto saw the dungeon's first enemy. "Of course it had to be a zombie… well better that than a ghost."

Getting a better look at it the animated corpse with his **Observe** he had to admit he wasn't all that impressed.

 **Civilian Zombie – Lv 3**

 **HP: 75**

 **CP: 0**

 **STR: 25**

 **VIT: 3**

 **DEX: 3**

 **INT: 2**

 **WIS: 0**

 **LUK: 0 (You're dead, your luck sucks.)**

 **Perks:**

 **Undead:** Ignore pain, 30% less damage taken by sharp objects and taijutsu, LUK, WIS & CP are none existent, extremely low INT allows you to act only on instincts, 30% increased damage by blunt objects and fire and fire based techniques

 **Description: A regular zombie with nothing extraordinary about it, can be troublesome however if you encounter them in large groups. Some say that they are restless spirits inhabitant corpses, others say they are the bi-product on an experiment gone wrong.**

 **Exp Earned: 55**

 **Drops: ?, ?, ?**

"Good thing I found this little beauty then," Naruto held his "weapon" more confidently now. Jumping at the zombie with the lead pipe held high Naruto swung it down with all his might onto the creature's head and managed knocked it down. Not letting it get the chance to get back up Naruto continued to strike at the undead creature with all his might till it evaporated into a blue particles.

 **A special skill has been created through a special act.**

 **By relentless beating enemy with a blunt object you've gained the passive ability "Basic Blunt Weapon Mastery"**

 **Basic Blunt Weapons Mastery.** Lv1. Next Lv 0/75. A skill that allows the user to freely handle blunt weapons.

• Passively increases the power of blunt weapons by 10%

• Passively increases the striking speed of blunt weapons by 5%

• Passively increases the critical hit rate of blunt weapons by 5%

"Oh, this just got easier," Naruto commented before he saw another zombie making its way towards him. Striking at it with his lead pipe once it got close Naruto had to duck a strike that would have taken a decent amount of health off him. The young blond soon followed up with a strike at its knees, making a resounded crunch that made it fall down like a sack of potatoes. From there Naruto began to bash its head in before it finally died.

"Alright, who's … next?" Naruto was left agape at the sight before him.

Where the zombie once stood was now a small wad of cash, 130 ryo to be exact. "Is this real?" he wondered before taking out a small bill from Gama-chan and compared to two bill notes. To his amazement they were the same with the exception of the zombie dropped one looking newer, almost as if it was recently printed.

"Guess that takes cares of my cash problem. Wonder what else I'll get from these guys?" he grinned at the prospect.

Naruto proceeded to kill five more zombies, gaining another 490 ryo in the process and an item called " **Zombie Rib** " for some reason, as he made his way out of the alley before he spotted an ignorant undead. Deciding to take advantage of its lack of noticing him Naruto stayed to the shadows and brought himself up to a vantage point. Taking a small piece of broken brick, Naruto tossed it a few feet away from the zombie in the opposite direction.

Fortunately the tactic worked and the undead being headed in the direction of the sound. Leaping at it Naruto struck it on the head much like he did the last one knocking it down and sending it sprawling away. Before he could finish it off the zombie disintegrated into nothing.

 **A special skill has been created through a special act.**

 **By taking advantage of an unsuspecting enemy and striking while they are off-guard you've gained the active ability Kagekoku "Shadow Strike"**

 **Shadow Strike** Lv1. Next Lv 0/75. A skill where the user strikes at an unsuspecting enemy with no time for them to defend. **CP Usage: 50. Must be hidden to use.**

• Increases the power of weapons by 50%

• Increases critical hit rate of weapons by 15%

• Increases concussive and crushing power of blunt weapons by 10%

• Increases cutting and severing power of blade weapons by 10%

 **"** I love this Gamer ability," Naruto grinned before he felt himself being hit in the back and sent tumbling down the street. "Ow," Naruto groaned as he got up. "Alright, whose the dead undead asshole!?"

Spotting a few zombies in front of him, Naruto charged at the and swung his lead pipe at the closest one, knocking it aside, before using his momentum to strike at the other one sending it sprawling into the other zombie and tripping it. As he moved in to strike at its head Naruto felt pain in his leg and saw the zombie had bitten him, "Oww! Let go!" Naruto struck its back before he felt pain in his arm, "You've gotta be shitting me!" he cursed as another zombie bit into him.

Striking at the one biting his leg Naruto was happy to see it evaporated before he focused his attention on the one biting him. Using his pipe Naruto swung at its leg, hoping the strike would force it to let go.

It didn't.

"Goddamn!" Naruto was beginning to worry as he had already lost almost 200 HP. The sneak attack from both zombies, their surprising strength, and his lack of proper armor didn't help him either. He needed to get out of his current situation and quick as he saw the other two zombies getting up and making their way towards him.

Smashing his lead pipe into the creature's head Naruto managed to wriggle free from its teeth before it grabbed him by the arm. The suddenness of it all making him drop his weapon. Already he could feel the undead being's greater strength drag him back and Naruto knew that without his weapon he'd be toast. Grabbing on a wooden frame Naruto cursed as the rotten wood splintered off from the burning building. Thinking it was better than nothing he jabbed the burning piece of wood into the zombie's eye and watched as it became wreathed with flames and flayed in agony barreling into the other two zombies in the process and setting them alight as well.

Grabbing his lead pipe Naruto swung at the still burning corpses and watched as two of them disintegrate into nothingness, with one's head flying from its shoulders before it became nothing but ash.

"Oh, damn. That was too fucking close," Naruto cursed. Collecting 300 ryo from the zombies Naruto suddenly heard a groaning sound from behind. Turning around Naruto spotted a not so welcoming sight.

Staring in front of him was a horde of undead, some of which were a level higher and carried weapons such as pipes, wooden clubs, even axes. "Ohh, shit balls."

* * *

 **Omake: Alternate Accuracy Test Ending**

"Well congratulations, Naruto, you passed with 90% accuracy," Naruto jumped for joy, screaming at the top of his lungs while many looked on perplexed.

 **"** Ok, everyone now it's time for the written portion of the test. Remember this is worth 50% while the accuracy portion is the remaining percentage."

"…WHAT!"

Needless to say Naruto got a big fat zero on his test, passing the whole test with a 40%, while his reputation with Iruka went down by a hundred for failing.

"GOD DAMNIT!"

On the plus side it was still the highest mark he had in his school year… actually in all his school years at the academy.

"OH, SHUT UP!"

Make me you little… Hey! Quit throwing those kunai at me. Don't make me get Anko on your ass!

"She doesn't scare me," Naruto boasted.

 **(Author writes something in the story)** Oh, good she's right behind you, and she heard everything. Enjoy.

"Eh?" was Naruto's only intelligent response before he felt a hand tighten around his shoulder.

"So… you're not scared of me, huh? We'll have to fix that, gaki," Anko grinned sadistically.

"Eep!" Naruto squealed as he was being dragged away, much to the confusion of the students while getting the sympathy of others.

 **(One torture session later)**

So you were saying.

"… I'll be good," a shaken up Naruto spoke.

Damn straight.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it and give me tons of reviews. 50-60 or so please. For an idea of what my weapons, items, armor, costumes, creatures, etc look like go to the bottom of my profile page. It's under Gamer.**

 **Also just letting you all know that this story is a major reboot of a similar one I had years ago but stopped as the plot sucked and was going nowhere. I was a young, fresh, and excited author and didn't really think things through. If there are similarities between other Gamer stories its because my beginning was originally like that, I just mixed it up a little.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Everything Unfolding**

As the horde of undead in front of him began walking towards him Naruto was starting to wish he knew a few crowd control techniques, or at least had an Exploding Seal Tag. His thought on the matter was cut short however as a couple of axes were sent flying at him. One fell short while the other went for his head that he only managed to bat away at the last second with his lead pipe.

"Ok, you can't hit what you can't see," Naruto tossed down a smoke bomb that screened the area white before making a strategic retreat to a better and more secluded vantage point. Naruto considered himself lucky that the zombies still needed to rely on their eyes to find him instead of smell, at least he hoped. As he reached a decent vantage point Naruto stuck to the shadows as best he could as he looked down upon the street.

 **Your stealth has increased by…**

Naruto closed the window, he needed to concentrate as best he could at the moment, "Need to change the setting on that thing. Ok, let's see here … seven, no nine zombies," Naruto counted and spotted a new enemy amongst them. " **Observe."**

* * *

 **Mob Zombie – Lv 4**

 **HP: 150**

 **CP: 0**

 **STR: 29**

 **VIT: 6**

 **DEX: 6**

 **INT: 2**

 **WIS: 0**

 **LUK: 0 (You're dead, your luck sucks.)**

 **Perks:**

 **Undead:** Ignore pain, 30% less damage taken by sharp objects and taijutsu, LUK, WIS & CP are none existent, extremely low INT allows you to act only on instincts, 25% increased damage by blunt objects and fire and fire based techniques

 **Description: A hate filled zombie who wields a dangerous weapon. Slightly stronger and a greater threat than civilian zombies. Encountering them in groups is dangerous for beginners with not that many techniques so plan ahead if you want to survive.**

 **Exp Earned: 70**

 **Drops: ?, Zombie Rib, ?**

* * *

 **Ninja Zombie – Lv 5**

 **HP: 200**

 **CP: 0**

 **STR: 35**

 **VIT: 8**

 **DEX: 10**

 **INT: 4**

 **WIS: 0**

 **LUK: 0 (You're dead, your luck sucks.)**

 **Perks:**

 **Undead Ninja:** Ignore pain, 35% less damage taken by sharp objects and taijutsu, LUK, WIS & CP are none existent, extremely low INT allows you to act only on instincts, 20% increased damage by blunt objects and fire and fire based techniques

 **Description: A former ninja turned zombie. Due to having a more conditioned body in its passed life it is much more agile and stronger than a regular zombie. Be mindful of its hands as they have transformed into sharp claws that can seriously harm you. Encountering them in groups is dangerous for beginners with not that many techniques so plan ahead if you want to survive.**

 **Exp Earned: 115**

 **Drops: ?, Zombie Rib, ?**

* * *

"Oh, man that ain't good," he muttered.

The **Ninja Zombie** in question had reddish decomposing skin compared to the other zombies gray, green, and blue skin tones and like the description said it had wicked claws for hands. What made it even more horrifying was seeing it eat another undead by ripping its head off and then munching on the brain. The others didn't seem all that bothered by the act or maybe they just didn't really understand what was going on.

" _Thank god I'm desensitized by violent video games and graphic images from the academy,_ "eventhen though he still felt a little queasy; video games and pictures were one thing, this was real life.

"Too many to hit them head on. I need to split em up," sure they were slow but the Ninja Zombie was quicker and could probably give him trouble. Naruto just counted himself lucky that there was only one of them at the moment. As none knew where he was at the moment Naruto decided to take this moment to recover some HP as quickly as possible. After recovering 100 HP, as some of the zombies were beginning to head in his direction, Naruto decided he would need to take care of the **Civilian** and **Mob Zombies** first one by one.

Essentially it was a hit and run tactic but with little to no techniques or proper equipment it was all he could do at the moment. Normally he'd just go in there guns blazin hope for the best and ask questions later, but after what just happened to him moments ago Naruto wasn't tempted to experience that again. He wanted to leave this place alive. Naruto didn't know if his **Gamer** ability allowed him to come back to life or restart from a certain point but he wasn't too keen on finding out. " _Would be awesome though,_ " he thought.

Grabbing some broken stones Naruto began to strategically throw them in certain directions to separate the zombie groups. Luckily their lack of intelligence made it easy to get their attention and split them off from the group. As he prepared to make his way downwards to the nearest zombie Naruto noticed the black cat from earlier was now in front of him. For whatever reason Naruto felt himself become unease with the feline and his use of **Observe** only furthered the feeling.

* * *

 **Wailing Black Cat Lv 4**

 **HP: 50**

 **CP: 75**

 **STR: 3**

 **VIT: 2**

 **DEX: 60**

 **INT: 3**

 **WIS: 10**

 **LUK: 15**

 **Perks:**

 **Feline Grace:** Movement Speed Increased by 35%, Evasion Increased by 35% in and out of combat, +15 DEX per Lv,

 **Description: An innocent looking and nothing out of the ordinary black cat … is what most people would think. While the claws and scratches of these black cats pose little to no harm their intelligence and malevolent nature do. Luckily they are mostly solitary creatures and rarely travel in groups larger than two.**

 **Whenever these felines come across adventurers they immediately begin to wail as loudly as they can, discombobulating and stunning them temporarily. They do this so they can get the attention of nearby enemies before making a quick escape with their incredible speed. Should their victim live these creatures will continue trailing them until the cats themselves are killed or their victim is killed. This is easier said than done as their speed and natural grace make it difficult to catch or hit them.**

 **Exp Earned: 85**

 **Drops: ?, ?**

* * *

"… Oh, shit," Naruto cursed his luck.

"Mweoooaaaarr!" as the cat began wailing Naruto immediately found himself dazed and unable to move. By the time he was able to come to his senses and regain control of his body he could see the feline jumping from rooftop to rooftop before disappearing somewhere in the alleys. As it was the zombies were now making their way towards him and from the looks of it he could see that the cat's wailing had attracted more of them. "Ok, new plan. Deal with zombies, find cat and then kill cat… slowly."

It went without saying that Naruto was not a cat person.

As it was Naruto would now have to deal with the zombies directly till he found another hiding spot. Dealing with the first two zombies he encountered as quickly as he could Naruto was forced to leave the drops behind as more appeared. Not wanting to become overwhelmed by the sheer number Naruto retreated to the rooftops, however he soon found himself face to face with a **Zombie Ninja.**

"I'm gonna kill that cat," Naruto growled as the zombie swiped at him with swiftness that one would not normally see in a corpse. As Naruto tried to get in close he kept finding himself having to dodge from a number of swipes and grabs, some of which managed to hit home and rip his shirt.

 **Warning! Upper Armor is now below 25% Durability.**

"Just my luck," Naruto wasn't all that surprised considering his shirt's durability and the material weren't all that great to begin with. Refocusing his attention on his opponent Naruto dodged just in time as the zombie jumped towards him, arms up high and then brought down and breaking the tiles in the process, leaving Naruto wide eyed. " _If that hit me my health would have taken a serious blow._ "

Naruto took advantage of his zombie's current position and managed to land a hard blow on the back of its head. The strength behind the blow wasn't enough to send the stronger zombie flying but it did make it stagger and sway. Taking advantage Naruto swiped its legs making it lose its footing and causing the walking corpse to fall off the roof and into the street below head first, twisting its neck at a very unnatural angle in the process.

"Guess that takes care of that guy," Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow as he saw the undead being evaporate into particles. Checking to see if there was any zombies, to his relief there were none, Naruto jumped down to collect his reward, finding about 200 ryo and a rib bone.

"Ok, seriously, what the hell I'm I gonna do with a rib bone? Sell it?" Deciding he'd look into it later, Naruto still had no idea who in their right mind would want a **Zombie's Rib** , the young blond soon found himself starring at two **Ninja Zombies** and a few regular ones too. "Oh, shit not good."

Throwing down a smoke bomb, his last one, Naruto ran inside a nearby building, killing a zombie via his **Shadow Strike** and hid in an empty closet. As he remained hidden Naruto wondered how they managed to sneak up on him. The ninja ones he could understand, but the regular ones not really, but even then it didn't make sense. "Wait minute. **Status Effects!"**

 **Status Effects:**

 **Malnourished:** Hampered physical growth rate, -25% to VIT, DEX, and STR stat base, +20% vulnerability to poisons

 **Impaired Senses: -** 20% Perception, -20% Hearing, -5 DEX (Temp. 2 Min Remaining)

"How the hell did **…** That cat is fucking dead," Naruto growled, it was the only explanation really now that he thought about it. The wail it caused must have given him the stupid flaw as a side effect. "Looks like I need to keep my guard up. This stupid thing is messing with my ability to know if enemies are nearby."

Waiting a few minutes till the **Impaired Senses** flaw was over, Naruto carefully scanned the room from a small crack before making his way out of the closet and out of the room. While he would have liked going out the way he came the sound of zombies and potentially alerting the cat to his location was a big turnoff. Unknown to him a pair of yellow eyes shined in the shadows behind him as he left the room.

Not wanting the cat to be alerted on where he was, Naruto decided it was best to stick to stealth at the moment and using his **Shadow Strike** until he got out of the building. Luckily the building was large and provided him with many places to hide or perform sneak attacks on unsuspecting zombies.

He had spotted multiple exits but Naruto had in fact come here to grind and level up. Adding to the fact that he was having a better time doing so in here, having already killed five **Civilian Zombies** , than outside also helped.

Spotting a couple of undead, which unfortunately spotted him in return, Naruto struck out at the nearest one bring it down before jumping in the air and kicked the other zombie in the face. The last act didn't do much damage due to their tolerance to taijutsu but it had enough force to make it stagger backwards, " _Almost like everything else the head is the weak spot._ "

 **Basic Blunt Weapons Mastery skill has leveled up!**

 **Basic Blunt Weapons Mastery.** Lv2. Next Lv 0/75. A skill that allows the user to freely handle blunt weapons.

Passively increases the power of blunt weapons by 12%

Passively increases the striking speed of blunt weapons by 6%

Passively increases the critical hit rate of blunt weapons by 6%

 **Congratulation! You learned the technique Ryoku Boku (Power Strike).**

 **Ryoku Boku (Power Strike):** Lv 1 Next Lv 0/75. A skill that allows the user to strike the target with greater force. CP Usage: 20

Increases blunt weapon damage by 30%

Increases critical hit rate by 10%

Increases concussive and crushing power of blunt weapons by 10%

" _Sweet! I learn techniques when I level stuff up!"_ Naruto mentally cheered, "Let's test this baby out. **Ryoko Boku** (Power Strike)! **"**

The lead pipe was soon enveloped in an aura of blue and as he swung it Naruto found that the speed and ease that he could use pipe was much greater than before. When the weapon made contact with the enemy's head it exploded into a gory mess before evaporating. Naruto soon made short work of the other zombie, though it managed to land a decent hit before going down, and began collecting his bounty.

Looking around Naruto realized he was now at the end of the hall with no zombies around. Thinking nothing of it Naruto decided to make he would make his way down the stairs before a thought occurred, "Wonder if these rooms have any loot?"

Naruto almost smacked himself for almost doing such as newbie mistake. In many of the video games he played Naruto knew that drawers, cabinets, desks, chests, lockers, etc, and rooms in general sometimes had loot or treasure. Whether it was money or armor loot would help him in the long run.

As he went inside the rooms one by one, Naruto was a little disappointed. In some of the rooms he found one **Mob Zombie** , who nearly chopped his head off, and two **Civilian Zombies** who were doing something he wished he could forget. " _That was some fucked up shit right there,_ " he shuddered at the memory and was almost tempted to use his pipe to get rid of it. In other rooms however he found items such as **Common First Aid Kit,** which restored about 250 HP and stopped the **Bleeding** status effect, 800 ryo bills, a hidden safe but didn't have the code or the skills necessary to crack it open, and **Adhesive Tape.**

" _That last one was very nice,_ " Naruto smirked before looking at his weapon.

 **Handle-Taped Lead Pipe – Common Quality**

 **Blunt Weapon**

 **Durability 38/40**

 **A discarded lead pipe commonly used for plumbing or other forms of waterworks. Though there's nothing extraordinary about this item it's surprisingly durable and can be used as a weapon. Has decent length and is fairly balanced. Through the adding of tape to the handle it allows for a better grip and control when swinging allowing you to strike better.**

 **Upgrade: Adhesive Tape**

 **Attack Power: 16-21**

Much like in some of his video games Naruto discovered through the **Guide Book** that he'd be able to upgrade or enhance the effectiveness of some of his weapons or armor through various methods. For weapons such as his lead pipe it was great, for kunai and shuriken however it wasn't that good of an idea to use said upgrades as they were more or less expendable and one time uses.

After looking through the remaining rooms, to which he found nothing, Naruto decided it was time to head out. Fate, however; had other plans for Naruto. Just as he made his way to the stairs did he hear the pitter-patter of small feet. "Oh, no."

Filled with dread Naruto turned around slowly and sure enough did he see the **Wailing Cat** , "Heh, heh… nice kitty?"

The cat however merely smirked with a glint in its eye and Naruto knew he was screwed, "Oh, shit." Naruto knew what was coming next and with the cat being too far away he prepared for the worst.

""Mweooarggghhhhkkkkkk!"

"…Huh?" Opening his eyes Naruto expected to see the cat's retreating form. Instead the blond academy student found the black cat's head being enveloped by a series of fangs and its body being crushed by the coils of a brown spotted yellow eyed constrictor. With a sudden jerk the cat's neck was snapped and it evaporated into a series of lights.

"What the?" Naruto was confused. A snake had save him?

Before he could wonder what was going on Naruto heard the sound of shoes creaking across the wooden floor before he spotted an all too familiar figure. The snake who got rid of the cat slithered towards the individual coiling up their leg, waist before finally circling around their neck.

"So, gaki. You wanna tell me **WHAT THE BLOODY FUCKING HELL IS GOING ON!?"** a furious looking Mitarashi Anko shouted, most likely alerting a few zombies to their presence in the process.

"Uh… how long have you been here?" a better question would have been how she got here.

"Actually, I'd like to tell you a little story first. To start, I got up went to work and found out a rookie interrogator in training decided to he was tired of wearing diapers and decided to play the big leagues and surprise, surprise, fucked up badly. Probing at a guy I'd been trying to crack for weeks and set my work back for who knows how long. Later had a huge craving for dango, decided to go to my favorite and only stand only to find out the place's closed for the next little while. Stepped in dog shit, ripped my favorite cloak, and got pissed on by some Inuzuka brat's ninken."

Naruto winced at the last one, " _Why do I feel like Kiba's gonna die after this or I have to prank him?"_

His latter thought would prove to be correct, "Later when I looked for you to prank the little bastard I see you go into some alley, and then stood behind you to see how long it would take for you to notice me. On another note, you still need to work on that, gaki. Then, and here's the best part, **I SOMEHOW GOT TRANSPORTED INTO A POST APACOLYPCTIC DIMENSION WITH ZOMBIES BY SOME SNOT NOSED BLOND WHO I'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND FOR THE LAST 30 MINUTES! I'M FEELING FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC, GAKI!"**

"Sooo… you had a bad day? AHHHHH!" Naruto suddenly felt himself being pulled up by the scruff if his shirt towards the mad, in both sense of the word, purple haired woman.

"Don't test me, gaki." Anko snarled. "I'm stuck here, been attacked by zombies, stalked by some fucking cat that calls more of them, haven't had strange in the last couple of months, and worst of all I haven't had my dango in the last week! **MOMMA NEEDS HER FIX!** "

Naruto whimpered at the woman's crazed expression. If looks could kill Naruto knew he'd be dead countless times already and in many unique ways.

 **A special skill …**

" _Now's not the time!_ " Naruto really needed to see if there was an option where this only appeared when he wasn't in danger, in battle, or when he was focused.

"So this can go down two ways, gaki. Either you spill your guts, or I spill them for you cover them in hot sauce and spices, make you eat them, before feeding you to Midori-chan here," she patted the snake lovingly. If snakes could purr Naruto knew it would be doing it right now judging by the look of content on its face.

Not wanting his guts spilled, as well as the other frighteningly detailed acts, Naruto was about to tell her the whole story before he came to his senses, "Hey, wait a minute. You can't kill me."

"Just try me, gaki. Give one good reason why I can't kill you?"

"If you kill me you'll be stuck here with no way out. I'm you're only hope of getting out of here," he smirked.

"…Shit. Fine, I won't kill you," Naruto smirked, "I'll just break one of your bones for every minute we're here instead. And to make sure you're not going anywhere."

At that Midori swiftly wrapped herself around the blond in an inescapable hold. "I got here with you so I'm guessing if you try to leave I'm going along for the ride. You sure you don't wanna start talking, gaki?" she smiled oh so innocently.

Needless to say Naruto told her every last detail about his ability and what it gave him. "And that's the whole story," he finished.

"…" Anko and Midori for their parts remained impassive and Naruto didn't know if that was good or bad.

"…"

"… Gaki, are you high or something? I mean I know you're a ninja in training and legally you become an adult when you get the headband so what you do…"

"I'm not on drugs!" they had been taught the significance of drugs and alcohol in the academy, along with a few other embarrassing and gross things, but idea of touching the stuff never occurred to Naruto.

" **He's telling the truth, Anko-san** ," the green constrictor hissed.

"Really?" Midori merely nodded at her summoner.

Naruto was left agape at the action, "…The snake can talk!"

" _Seriously? What the hell does the academy teach these brats nowadays?_ "Ankothought. If this was Konoha's future they were royally fucked with a rusty kunai.

"Yes, the snake can talk," Anko sighed before straightening herself out. "So a video game bloodline, huh? Pretty unique, if not weird to say the least."

"…Eh?" of all the follow up reactions Anko would have that was last one he expected to see.

"Kid when you're a ninja for as long as I've been you tend to have a different look on things and go with the flow. It's less of a headache to deal with than having to fight against it," Anko explained as she looked at him.

Naruto had to wonder if all seasoned ninja had this kind of mentality or if Anko was the exception. Either way it sure made things easier for him. Who was he to fight good fortune when it came his way?

"Though I gotta admit this is certainly one for the books," part of her was still thinking she was dreaming or had drunk too much and it was messing with her head. It wouldn't make sense since she didn't drink last night, as far as she could remember, but it still made more sense than this.

Furrowing Naruto tried to think of some way to convince Anko that he wasn't lying. Thinking of something an idea came to mind and Naruto decided it was worth a shot.

"Invite Anko to party," Naruto called hopefully out much to Midori and Anko's confusion.

"Gaki what the… hell?" Anko gapped at the sight before her with Midori mimicking her summoner.

 **You've been invited to join Uzumaki Naruto's party. Will you accept?**

 **YES/NO**

"…Huh, gaki?" Anko had no idea what was going on or what to do.

"Holy crap! It worked!" a part of Naruto honestly didn't think it would but he was so glad it did.

"Worked? What the hell are you talking about? What is this thing?" Anko was seriously confused and nervous, two things that rarely ever happened to her.

"Just say, yes, or better yet press on it. Trust me," Naruto informed her.

"Trust you?" at the moment her trust in Naruto was a tad shaky given the circumstances but the kid had been honest with her so far. " _Besides what other choice do I have?"_

Pressing on the "YES" option, a sensation and memory she'd never forget, the blue window box flickered out of existence before she saw a floating textbox above Naruto's head.

"Ok, this just got weirder," Midori couldn't help but agree with the eccentric dango loving woman.

"You get used to it… sorta," Naruto had come to terms with his ability but it still surprised him at times at what it allowed him to do.

If there was any doubt about his ability in Anko's mind Naruto was pretty sure it was gone now. Though Naruto had to say he was impressed by her level. When wondering why he could see it now Naruto guessed it had to do with the fact that she was in his party rather than the level of his **Observe.** Which thanks to a little more fiddling with allowed to allocate the stats granted to him by skills to the base stat. As it was only stats granted by tools would appear within parenthesizes.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Mitarashi Anko**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Level: 37 Next Level: 58876/76100**

 **Title: Snake Mistress**

 **Specialization: Torture and Interrogation Expert**

 **HP: ?**

 **CP: ?**

 **STR: ?**

 **VIT: ?**

 **DEX: ?**

 **INT: ?**

 **WIS: ?**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: ?**

 **Perks:**

 **T & I Veteran: +30% effectiveness and EXP to "T&I" skill, +30% effectiveness and EXP to "Killing Intent" skill**

 **Toxicologist Veteran: +30% effectiveness, damage, and EXP to "Poisons" skill, +75% to "Poison Resistance"**

 **Tracking Veteran: +30% effectiveness, EXP to "Tracking" skill, +30% damage & defense to stealth based attacks**

 **Status Effects:**

 **?:**

 **Description: Not much is known about Mitarashi Anko's past as she tends to keep to her self and only opens up to those she truly trusts. Hailed as a skilled ninja at a very young age, Anko later went on to become one of Konoha's top torture and interrogation specialists and an accomplished tracker, accomplishing tasks where others, other than the Inuzuka, failed. Due to her tutelage Anko is one of Konoha's best toxicologist, having used and created many unique poisons in the field and during interrogations. Her love of dango is quite well known and feared, some say surpassing Uzumaki Naruto's love for ramen.**

* * *

" _Note to self: Don't piss her off,_ " Naruto shuddered, especially with his status effect giving him a weakness towards poisons.

"Soooo… what do we do now?" Anko would freely admit she was out of her comfort zone at the moment. The enemies were weak as hell, a single punch or two from her was enough to turn them into particles of light and katon ninjutsu was basically a one hit kill.

"What else, kill some zombies," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You mean you're not scared or hesitant about killing them?" Anko was surprised really at the ease of which he spoke of it. Even prodigies, most of them, had difficulties killing other beings for the first time, especially humans.

"Nope. I mean sure it's weird but they're not alive really so," Naruto tried to explain as best he could. "Also that cat pissed me off and I killed a few rats before."

"Makes sense," Anko nodded, "You also underwent the Academy Rite so that would help."

"…The academy whatnow?" Naruto had no idea what she was talking about.

"… You didn't undergo the Rite!?" Anko nearly shouted before horrid thought occurred, "Did any of you go through it!?"

"Uh…no?" was his hesitant response.

Anko was left doing the best impression of a fish Naruto had ever seen. " **It seems the academy standards have greatly gone down, Anko-san** ," Midori hissed.

"Under-fucking-statement of the year, Midori-chan," Anko groused at her summon. " _Note to self: Talk to Hokage-sama about this._ "

"Basically, gaki, the Rite was set forth by the Nidaime when the academy was first founded. It's a twofold test that was more or less created as a way to weed out those who couldn't become ninja. It's a test where you take your first life, an animal's, in the academy and then a human life after passing your Jounin instructor's test after you become Genin. It wouldn't do Konoha any good if we had ninja who couldn't kill."

Anko didn't bother to mention that a select number of those who didn't pass had an opportunity to still be useful in Konoha in one of the non-combatant divisions such as the medics, sensory, barrier, or cryptologists divisions. Problem was that one needed a certain amount of talent and intelligence to qualify as well as pass a series of specific tests to be accepted.

"Technically speaking you shouldn't be in your last year, gaki," Anko informed him, "though it may be a case that the Academy standards and curriculum changed for the worst. What exactly are the requirements to graduate?"

"Uh…Oh, the written test for one. Then there's the accuracy and physical exam, and finally the basic academy three exam," he finished.

"…That's it… Oh, merciful bloody fuck," she cursed.

Anko could understand the written test, a ninja needed brains, not just brawn like the Legendary Stupid Brothers. The accuracy and physical exam were equally important as one didn't want a ninja who was physically weak and accidently struck their own comrade or innocent bystanders.

The academy three … well that was a no brainer, but just knowing the basic academy ninjutsu wasn't enough for one to become a ninja. When she had graduated Anko had to demonstrate proficient use of three C-rank techniques with at least one of them being lethal when used against another.

Sure it was up to the Jounin instructor to mentor their wards but they weren't there to babysit them either. The acadmy graduates were basically blades that had yet to be refined and tempered, it was the job of the Jounin to make sure this happened to them before they got into real life situations. If this was the current standards things certainly weren't looking good for Konoha.

Many had heard how Kiri had changed the standards that made them be known as the Bloody Mist but even then the standards were still high and demanding. Heck in Kumo it was a prerequisite that all Genin be proficient in the use of kenjutsu before graduation and the chakra flow technique.

" _Note to self: Kick Umino's ass,_ " the academy instructor had some serious explaining to do in her mind. Even if it wasn't his fault she still needed someone to vent on and she couldn't very well kick the Hokage's ass. " _The man could kill me before I had time to blink._ "

Speaking of which.

"Duck," Anko called out before sending Midori towards a zombie behind Naruto, the constrictor quickly wrapping around the undead and crushing it's head with her jaw.

" **That tasssted vile,"** the serpent gagged. Though she had nothing in her mouth she could still taste the rotten flesh on her ultrasensitive tongue. " **Never make me do that again!** " the summon hissed at the purple haired kunoichi.

"Didn't ask you to bite it, Midori… " Anko blinked before she walked over and picked up a bill of ryo.

"Wha? You know what, I'm not gonna bother. Zombies dropping money isn't the weirdest thing I should expect from what I've been seeing… Plus I have more spending money for dango!" Ankor grinned and Naruto could honestly say he was a little disturbed by it.

"You mean you didn't notice it before?" Naruto asked.

"Guess the loot deal only worked when I joined your party," Anko mused, she had to admit Naruto's ability was unique and she had no doubt that they only scratched the surface of it. It made her wonder just how powerful it was.

"So what now?" Naruto had no idea where to go from here.

"Well what were you doing here before hand?"

"Grinding mostly … it means killing a bunch of enemies to level up quickly," Anko nodded at the explanation; having no experience with video games or the lingo of it all.

"But since your level is very high you're only gonna get loot instead of exp and any enemies you kill won't transfer exp to me," Naruto explained.

Made sense, Anko thought… sorta.

"Well, if that's the case I'm gonna go kill some zombies. Midori-chan, you stay with the gaki and make he doesn't get into trouble," Anko told her familiar.

Though he didn't say anything Naruto was somewhat touched that Anko was thinking of his well being.

"No need to babysit him though. Just make sure he doesn't die otherwise we'll be stuck here. Later, gaki," Anko finished before taking off.

Naruto realized he'd have to downsize on the caring part.

* * *

(One Hour Later)

Smashing his pipe into the back of a Civilian Zombie's head Naruto was satisfied to see its head flying away. Off to the side Naruto saw Anko's summon Midori more or less kill anything that came too close to it with relative ease. Naruto couldn't help but shudder, the summon used every part of its body as a weapon from its maw filled with sharp venomous teeth to its tail that asphyxiated or speared her foes.

" _Thank kami she's on my side,_ " Naruto knew that if she was his enemy he'd be dead, or worse eaten alive.

"Ok, that's zombie number twenty seven since I saw Anko," Naruto huffed a bit before whipping the sweat off his face. Naruto had to admit he was getting a decent workout going through actual combat instead of what he usually did.

"Too bad I didn't find any good weapon or armor loot," so far he only found a few caches that held items such as **First Aid** , **Basic Repair Kit,** and a couple thousand ryo. It wasn't bad but he wouldn't have minded if he managed to find any good armor or weapons. His pipe was good for now but he'd need something stronger to prepare for the future. His shirt and pants were currently on their last stretch and Naruto would have to use some of the money he gained to buy decent clothing and armor to replace them.

Seeing no other zombies around, the one he just killed was the first he had seen in the last seven minutes, Naruto decided to take a break and replenish some health. Currently looking at his status window Naruto was happy for quite a few reasons. One was that he was now at level 6, 8890 ryo richer, a few of his skills increased by a few levels and had gained a new perk.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Level: 6 Next Level: 455/3600**

 **Title: Academy Student**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 1200**

 **CP: 1975**

 **STR: 15 (5) = 20**

 **VIT: 37**

 **DEX: 20 (6+3) = 29**

 **INT: 61**

 **WIS: 15 +(%5) =15.75**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 5**

 **Perks:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards reputation gain

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP towards Chakra Control

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards reputation gain, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Beginner Zombie Slayer:** 30% increase attack and defense against Undead, +5 stats when facing Undead, +10% additional drops and Exp from Undead

 **Status Effects:**

 **Malnourished:** Hampered physical growth rate, -25% to VIT, DEX, and STR stat base, +20% vulnerability to poisons

 **Description:** Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently an academy student with inspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. At the moment, Naruto is considered by many as a shoe in for the title of **Dead Last.**

 **Money** : 15390 Ryo ~ (1539$)

 **Points: 9**

* * *

"Quit admiring yourself, gaki," Anko landed behind him, "only women can do that."

"Gah!" Naruto stumbled, "Quit doing that!" Naruto shouted only for Anko to ignore him and direct her attention to Midori.

"So how'd the brat do?" she asked her summon.

" **The boy has good instincts, tactical thinking, and does not give up,** " Naruto puffed up at that, " **but he's arrogant, his senses to mind his surroundings needs improvement, and his fighting style is none existent. He also has a bad habit of letting his emotions get the better of him and does things that get him in trouble with the enemy when he could have easily beaten them. He has potential but his hit first and think later method will get him killed someday. Overall he needs a tune up, big time."**

"How the heck would a snake know that? How do you even know what I need and don't?!" Naruto shouted, his temper getting the better of him as she listed his flaws.

"Oh, boy," Anko knew what was happening next and jumped out of the way.

"Huh? What are you …"

Before him Midori's body began to expand exponentially before she reached incredible size in length and girth. Her head was now easily two three times bigger than his body and Naruto knew she could swallow him whole with no problems.

" **Wissssh to repeat that, boy!"** the gigantic serpent bellowed, sending Naruto flying into a building and destroying a few buildings to crumple or fall over from the air that escaped her mouth.

 **Warning Health Below 25%!**

 **Warning Shirt Armor Destroyed!**

 **Warning Pants Armor**

Naruto winced both at the warning and the pain he was feeling. " _Damnit! And that was from her simply opening her mouth._ "

"Smooth move, gaki!" Naruto saw Anko atop the giant serpent. "Midori here is a scion of the **Hakuja Sennin** (White Serpent Sage). She knows a ton and helped me on more than one occasion in more ways than one. When she was part of the clan she was one of the more powerful summons. She could wipe out a village and its inhabitants if she wanted to and make it look like childs play."

Anko neglected to say that so long as they didn't have another summon or large scale ninjutsu at their disposal but the blond didn't need to know that.

Naruto paled as she told him that. " _I just had to go an piss of a giant serpent. With teeth the size of me!_ " he was really tempted to hit himself with his pipe before something occurred to him. "What do you mean by 'was part of the clan _'_?"

"Midori-chan, please don't kill him," Anko hoped she listened.

" **It'ssss fine, Anko,"** Midori hissed her native accent coming into play, " **You get one warning, Uzumaki-san. Simply put, I am what you would call a Banished Summon. A series of circumstances lead me to be banished from my homeland and unable to return and I've been with Anko ever since. No regrets, however; if you wish to know more you'll have to earn our trust."**

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Trust Earned (Anko and Midoro)**

 **Main Quest: Earn Anko and Midori's by gaining the reputation level Honoured with them.**

 **Main Quest Completion: 6500 EXP, +5 Attribute Points, Past Revealed, "?"**

 **Failure: 1050 EXP, Past Not Revealed, Reputation beyond Friendly with Anko and Midori no longer available.**

 **Accept? (Yes/No)**

"Reputation level?" Naruto quickly opened his **Guide Book** to see what it was talking about.

 **Reputation**

Reputation plays an important factor in the world. The more well liked you are with a faction the more benefits and easier time you will have with them such as discounts, missions, exp, etc. Contrasts the more hated you are with said faction will have the opposite effect. Reputation also plays a major role in future events that can and may not occur so make your choices carefully.

 **Note:** When your reputation for a faction reaches its maximum value any reputation points will be converted into EXP instead.

 **Abhorred**

You are seen as a monster by many, you and those close to you will have a high chance of being attacked without mercy by anyone with this reputation. High possibility of them posting a bounty on your person. -40% Teamwork Effectiveness, -40% Monetary Gain, -40% Reputation Gain

 **Hostile**

You are an enemy to this individual and will be attacked if given the chance. Small possibility of them posting a bounty on your person. -20% Teamwork Effectiveness, -20% Monetary Gain, -20% Reputation Gain

 **Disliked**

This faction doesn't like you. Your chances of being attacked are low but still a possibility depending on what you do. -10% Teamwork Effectiveness, -10% Monetary Gain, -10% Reputation Gain

 **Neutral**

This faction doesn't know you or could care less about you. Your chances of being attacked are non-existent unless you attack them or if your actions affect them negatively.

 **Friendly**

You're on good terms with this faction. Your chances of being attacked are low and you gain additional rewards. +10% Teamwork Effectiveness,+10% Monetary Gain, +10% Reputation Gain

 **Honored**

You're on very good terms with this faction. Your chances of being attacked are low to non-existent and you gain a good deal of additional rewards. +20% Teamwork Effectiveness, +20% Monetary Gain, +20% Reputation Gain

 **Exalted**

You're seen as a hero or inspiration of all that is good and just with this faction or individual. Your chances of being attacked are non-existent and you gain an incredible deal of additional rewards. +40% Teamwork Effectiveness, +40% Monetary Gain, +40% Reputation Gain. **Note** : Be forewarned! This reputation may get you fangirls.

Though Naruto sorta felt off about the idea of having a quest be used to learn more about someone, he reminded himself that many quests or actions he did in someway or another earned or deducted reputations with him or others. Luckily Naruto knew that quest pop ups were only visible to him and clicked on the "Yes" button.

"Well, I'm bored and hungry. Let's go home, gaki. I got enough ryo to buy myself a ton of dango," Anko announced suddenly and with a look of utter joy in her eyes.

"Didn't you say your spot is closed?" Naruto remembered and was thusly greeted with the sight of a depressed Special Jounin. "How much did you get by the way?"

"A little over 46 000 ryo, not including whatever Midori got, and a few items from caches and that giant weak ass zombie but what does it matter," the depressed woman said nonchalantly.

Naruto however was left bulgy eyed, "46 000! Do you know how much ramen that would get me!" he shouted, momentarily forgetting that he had to cut back on the dish.

"Screw ramen!" Anko shouted, "If it ain't dango it's dirt," was her childish response.

"Don't compare ramen to shitty balls on a stick!" Naruto shouted.

"Don't compare dango to week old boiled piss in a bowl!" Anko shouted back at him.

As the two began debating about which dish was better, Midori couldn't help but sweatdrop as the scene unfolding before her. " ** _If I didn't know any better I'd swear they were related somehow. It's like looking into a gender-bender mirror._** **"**

"RAMEN!"

"DANGO!"

"RAMEN!"

"DANGO!"

"RAMEN!"

"DANGO!"

" **ENOUGH!"** Midori had enough of their squabbling, it was starting to give her a migraine. " **Don't make me eat you two… seriously both of you would probably give me indigestion and force me to throw you back up. But I'll do it if it means not having to listen to this tripe."**

Both Naruto and Anko merely deadpanned at the snake who began shrinking back down to size. "You ok, Midori?" Anko asked as the serpent coiled and wrapped herself around the woman.

" **I'm fine,** " Midori huffed, " **it still takes a lot of chakra to maintain my previous form. I just need rest,"** she said and with that she started to sleep.

"Anyway, get us outta here, gaki. Doesn't look like there are any zombies left," Anko had more or less killed the majority of the zombies she came across with relative ease. The giant one had been slightly tougher but had been defeated fairly easily by her speed and katon ninjutsu.

Had Naruto gone against the thing on his own as he currently was he would have been killed. Though from what she saw and deduced the kid probably wouldn't give a rat's ass.

" _I got my work cut out for me,_ " Anko thought.

"Ah, mannnn," Naruto whined. He'd have like to have stayed a little while longer and grind some more but with the little amount of zombies and chakra he had, not to mention his lack of proper equipment he doubted he'd get far. " _Not bad for a first time though,_ " there was always next time and with his level he could go to some of the dungeons Konoha had.

" **Instant Dungeon Escape!"** Naruto announced just as the world turned white and they suddenly reappeared in the alley.

"Ughh, headache," Anko groaned as little bits of light danced in front of her eyes. "Little warning next time, gaki."

"Sorry," Naruto groaned as well he'd have to get used to that.

"Well, I guess I'm off gahh," Naruto suddenly found himself being dragged by the collar.

"You're not going anywhere till we see the Hokage, gaki," Anko's tone left no room or argument.

"What! Are you crazy!?" Naruto shouted. " _What am I saying? Of course she's crazy!"_

"Sorta, and FYI every ninja is a bit crazy, gaki. It's how we cope," Anko stated. "Besides what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that I can't prove it?!"

"…Uhh, gaki," Anko merely pointed above her head.

"…Ohhhh, right," the boy stopped struggling, "Uh, you can let me go now."

"I could but don't wanna," Anko said and continued to drag him all the way towards the Hokage Tower. On the way Naruto noticed that many glared his way but to his confusion he realized that some were directed at Anko too.

" _Why is she being glared at?_ "he wondered.

Being dragged up the stairs, which hurt like hell and then some, Anko proceeded to lift him up by the ankle in front of the secretary, "Gotta talk to Hokage-sama about the gaki here."

"Hi, Mariko-neechan," Naruto greeted the familiar secretary. Much like Ayame, Mariko was one of the few older females that Naruto had a decent relationship with.

"Naruto-kun," Mariko chuckled, "What did you do this time?"

"What makes you think I did anything?" Naruto merely got a deadpanned look from both women that screamed, "Seriously?"

"Honest! I didn't do squat this time!"

"Right, sure, Naruto-kun. And Hokage-sama is a closet pervert," Anko and Mariko laughed at that.

"Uhh, well actually," Naruto began just as the door opened.

"I'll see you two now, Anko-chan, Naruto-kun," Hiruzen spoke from the doorway.

" _No way in hell was that coincidental,_ " Naruto swore the Old Man was listening in on them as he was dragged into the room.

"Before we begin, Anko-chan, please let go of Naruto-kun before blood rush to his head kills him," Hiruzen ordered.

"You're the boss," Anko smiled and promptly let go of the blonds' ankle.

"Oof… itaiii," Naruto nursed the bump swelling on his conked head, "Bad choice of words, Jiji," Naruto glared at his grandfather figure.

"With how thick that skull of yours is, gaki, you'd think you'd be able to deal with a little head trauma," Anko jabbed whilst Hirzuen lightly chuckled.

"Jiji?!" Naruto whined as the Old Man laughed at his expense.

"Sorry, Naruto-kun," his continued chuckling didn't really help convince Naruto that he was. "So what did Naruto-kun do this time, Anko-chan?"

"Why does everyone always assume I did something?!" sure he had a record but shouldn't be held against him every time should it?

"You're reputation precedes you, Naruto-kun," was Hiruzen's blunt answer. "Anyways I have an important meeting in a while so please tell why you are here."

"My beef is different than his. Gaki," Anko nudged him forward.

"Umm," Naruto really didn't know where to start, "I have this weirdvideogamebloodlinelimit," he squeaked out.

"… Pardon?" Hiruzen didn't quite catch that, "Try going a little more slowly, Naruto-kun… try to annunciate as well. Take a deep breath if you're nervous and just."

"I have a video game bloodline limit," Naruto shouted a little to loudly.

" _Subtlety is really not the gaki's strong suit_ ," Anko tried to get the ringing out of her ears. The snake handler just thanked her lucky stars that Midori was a really heavy sleeper as she became vicious when she was woken up.

"A video game bloodline limit?" Hiruzen had extensive knowledge on bloodlines and bloodline limits in general, it was one of the reasons why he was known as the Second Professor, but he honestly had no idea what a video game was.

Hiruzen was glad that he had activated the security seal in his office as they came in, the man knew from past experience and wasn't ignorant to know that many would try to listen in.

"What's a video game?" Hiruzen asked.

" _Oh, right,_ "Anko should have seen this coming. She didn't play them, wasn't her thing, but she knew a bit about video games such as what they were from acquaintances who had kids but much of the older generation had little to no interest in it all. Explaining to him as best as they could and the circumstances that followed Hiruzen merely remained impassive till the end of it.

"I see…" Hiruzen hummed, "As much as I would like to believe you two you do realize how farfetched this sound correct?"

"No sweat, Jiji. Invite…uh?"

"What's wrong, Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen asked.

Sheepishly Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Eh…hehehe…What's your name, Jiji?" Naruto's question caused the older shinobi and kunoichi to facefault.

"What the hell, gaki! You're close and you don't even know his name?!" she smaked him across the head. " _Scratch a lot a work, the gaki's gonna need a goddamn overhaul._ "

"What?! I was told it was rude to mention old people by their first names," Naruto defended himself.

" _Old people?_ " Hiruzen mentally gawked. Personally he liked to think of himself as seasoned than old.

"That still doesn't mean you shouldn't know what his name is, gaki!" Anko shot down that excuse. The little idiot was going to give her a permanent migraine she thought as she massaged her eyes. "And for the record it's Sarutobi Hiruzen."

"Gotcha. Invite Sarutobi Hiruzen to party!" Naruto announced.

"…What … is … this?" the Sandaime emphasized every word in disbelief. Floating before his eyes was a blue window box similar to what Anko had experienced. Believing it to be an illusion Hiruzen proceeded to do exactly the same thing Naruto did.

"Not an illusion, Jiji," Naruto grinned. "Press on the "Yes".

Wary that this may be a very elaborate trap, a very unique and strange one, Hiruzen cautiously pressed on the button and was shocked to have actually felt it.

" _Can't be an illusion. Genjutsu aren't corporal,_ " Hiruzen was shocked even further as he saw floating textboxes over the heads of Anko and Naruto. The fact that the illusion or perhaps ninjutsu wasn't affecting him in a negative way made didn't make Hiruzen lower his guard, he'd be foolish to do it, but made it seem like he did.

"Very well your story checks out," Hiruzen acknowledged, albeit still in disbelief. "So what does this bloodline limit allow you to do?"

"Strange as it sounds it allows me to see and live the world like a video game. Don't ask me how it works, Jiji. I'm still trying to figure out myself," Naruto explained.

Hiruzen merely frowned however, " _How is this possible. Members of the Uzumaki Clan were never documented to have awakened bloodline limits, just unique Hidenjutsu. Kushina and Mito told me that a few had special chakra that allowed them to mold their chakra or materials into other constructs but that's it. Minato's adopted but at the very least he's thought to potentially have come from a family or clan that had the Swift Release._ "

It didn't make since when he thought it through. At times some bloodlines would mix and the following would happen: The more dominant bloodline limit appeared, both appeared, a new bloodline arose, or nothing. Yet nothing warranted from Naruto gaining this form of bloodline limit.

" _Only two theories come to mind on how this happened. One, it's more of Hidenjutsu, really, and a very powerful one too, maybe even a Space-Time Kekkai Mora,_ " Hiruzen shuddered and paled.

A Kekkei Mora, unlike Kekkei Tota, was beyond mere elemental composition and manipulation if the tales were true. Very old legend said that a Kekkei Mora was the progenitor of Space-Time Ninjutsu that shaped many of the various Elemental Countries weather and form.

" _Oh, kami-sama, and potentially it's in the hands of our resident jinchuriki,_ " Hiruzen had a good deal of confidence in Naruto but he was no fool either.

" _The only other possible explanation is…_ "

"Hokage-sama, someone is here and says he's your next appointment, Mariko said over the intercom.

"We'll continue this after my meeting is done," Hiruzen informed the two, "Tell him to come in, Mariko-chan."

As the two went to leave the door opened and a man with glasses, grey silver hair tied into a ponytail and wearing a black business style kimono entered the room.

"Hokage-sama," he bowed before spotting Naruto, "Hello, Uzumaki-san."

"Huh? Who the heck are you?"

"Now, now. There's no need for that, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto didn't know why but for some reason he felt that the words were a combination of both a subtle threat and placation, " _Whoever this guy is he's stronger than, Anko._ "

"Who are you?" Naruto asked slightly more politely.

"Oh, where are my manners. My name is… hmm, oh dear. I've gone without using for so long that I can't remember. No matter. You may call me the Abyss Auction Manager. And we've had our eye on you for quite a while now."

* * *

 **Omake: Snoo-Snoo! (Naruto's age boosted up to 15)**

"…That's it… Oh, fuck me sideways," she cursed.

"Uh…ok?" Naruto shrugged before he began stripping. He was 15, Anko was attractive, and she offered – sorta – who was he to say no.

"Huh? No offense, gaki, but one even if you're 15 it would be illegal, and two I doubt a brat like be able to please a woman like me. "

What she saw next however changed her mind pretty damn quickly.

"… Eh, what the hell. I've killed and done a bunch of other sinful things. Adding one more thing to the list is no skin of my nose," she said. She hadn't had some for a couple a months and it was better than nothing.

 **(Two Hours and One Sweaty and Ranchy McNasty Session Later)**

Puffing on a smoke with sheets clinging to her sweat covered body and frizzled hair, Anko bore a satisfied look on her face, "Gotta say, gaki. What you lack in technique you damn well make up for it in stamina and enthusiasm. Overall you're in the top ten on my list."

He wasn't at the top of the list, far from it, but with experience and more hands on approach Anko knew he would be a force to be recon with … in bed that. " _If ninja does work out for him he'd make a high class gigolo… gaki better give me freebies._ "

Meanwhile Naruto was breathing like crazy, his stamina and teenage body were being put to the test at his first time, "So … tired," he managed to wheeze out.

"So ready for round ten?" Anko thru away her cig bud.

Naruto paled, "Stop… the spirit is willing but the flesh is squishy and bruised!"

"I wasn't asking for permission, gaki. I've got a lot of stress and tension, and sense I have no intention of doing it with a walking corpse, you're the only one capable of releasing it. So man up," Anko smirked devilishly.

"Can't we just cuddle?" Naruto hoped but whimpered as he saw the look in Anko's sex depraved eyes.

" **Run for it you idiot!"** a powerful yet fear filled voice called out in his head.

Despite not knowing where that came from, Naruto listened regardless and made a run for the exit. The fifteen year old ninja in training managed to open the wooden frame before he fell forward, his legs bound by serpents, and found himself being dragged back into the proverbial viper's den.

"Nooooo!" Naruto's screams for help were left unheeded.

Add to the fact that they were in another dimension where the residents were mindless undead it was safe to say they cared or understand little of what was going on.

In other words Naruto was fucked!

"You wanna stick that where!" Naruto screamed.

Fucked in both sense of the word.

* * *

 **Leveled Up Skills**

 **Basic Blunt Weapons Mastery.** Lv5. Next Lv 328/650. A skill that allows the user to freely handle blunt weapons.

Passively increases the power of blunt weapons by 18%

Passively increases the striking speed of blunt weapons by 9%

Passively increases the critical hit rate of blunt weapons by 9%

 **Congratulation! You learned the technique Ryoku Boku (Power Strike).**

 **Ryoku Boku (Power Strike):** Lv 3 Next Lv 136/250. A skill that allows the user to strike the target with greater force. **CP Usage: 18**

Increases blunt weapon damage by 50%

Increases critical hit rate by 12%

Increases concussive and crushing power of blunt weapons by 12%

 **Shadow Strike** Lv3. Next Lv 34/250. A skill where the user strikes at an unsuspecting enemy with no time for them to defend. **CP Usage: 48.**

 **Must be hidden to use.**

Increases the power of weapons by 70%

Increases critical hit rate of weapons by 25%

Increases concussive and crushing power of blunt weapons by 12%

Increases cutting and severing power of blade weapons by 12%

* * *

 **Here you go next one will be out in a week. Also for those who don't know the Abyss Auction House is where the protagonist from the Gamer Manga gets most of his items, spells, equipment with he money he earns, it's also the place he sells stuff too. Also if you're wondering why teh Hokage would know early on, that's because one Anko has a great deal of loyalty towards him for what he did for her considering her past relationship with Orochimaru and no the Hokage won't force Naruto to abuse his power for the better of Konoha. and if you're wondering why Anko got transported with Naruto go back to the second chapter it's in the explanation.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Welcome to Hell**

* * *

Silence saturated the room as the words left the man's mouth. Both Naruto and Anko were worried while Hiruzen for some strange reason remained impassive.

"What is it something I said?" the Abyss Auction House manager asked.

"What do you mean you've been keeping an eye on him for a while?" Hiruzen's tone spoke volumes.

"Now, now Hokage-sama. You of all people should know that when it comes to information we are never at liberty to discuss it," to emphasize his point the man showed them a complex seal on the back of his neck; one that both Anko and Hiruzen recognized.

" ** _Juinjutsu_** _(Cursed Seal),_ "both thought.

"What's the Abyss Auction House?" Naruto asked.

"Basically we deal with goods and services," the man explained, "in fact the Abyss had a hand in helping the five Shodai when the very first meeting between the Great Five Kage took place. To put it simply as to why, well let's just say that the initial meeting almost came to blows before a neutral party came in to place."

Naruto however was merely confused, Anko was shocked and Hiruzen remained impassive as he already knew about this. It was something only the very high ups in the Elemental Countries knew about.

The official story was that the Five Kages came to an agreement, splitting the nine Biju evenly at cost. Unfortunately, complications arose when the Shodai Kazekage wanted only the Ichibi, land and small percentage of the profit instead of two Biju, otherwise he and the village would back out of the peace talk and do what they did best in the Era of Warring States: battle and bloodshed.

From there the meeting went downhill until a member of the Abyss Auction House and offered their services. No one knew exactly when the Abyss Auction House began but they originally were more or less a broker of information and goods during the Era of Warring States.

Now however since things had become much more connected through the unity of various clans and villages business for them, unlike others, had boomed and they were now more of a grey market as they owned legitimate businesses. Now they were a powerful neutral party who sold things to anyone that was the highest bidder, they even now allowed others to sell their own items for a percentage of the price sold. Sometimes even rare and priceless goods. Luckily they had standards and did not sell anything to terrorist groups, doing so was bad for business.

However, that isn't to say that many tried to take advantage of them or seek them out for the goods they had in a hostile manner in the past. While it didn't end well for either party, it was usually the idiots who dared attacked them that suffered more. Debts from their village were collected, shops closed up, businesses would show a rapid or subtle decline, people went missing, basically the village economy went downhill, it all added up to one simple truth.

Don't fuck with the Abyss.

If one did it would be like being swallowed up into a dark hole with little hope of escape. It was the reason why their former name was changed from whatever it used to be to Abyss Auction House. Hiruzen compared the Abyss to the likes of Tetsu no Kuni, a neutral and powerful force that only those who were foolish, ignorant or dumb enough dared attack them.

But it begged the question, "Why are you interested in Naruto-kun," Hiruzen would move heaven and earth for his surrogate grandson but even he knew messing with the Abyss would end badly for Konoha.

"Why his ability of course. It's is quite unique," the man mused much to Naruto and Anko's shock, "Oh, don't look so surprised. Gathering information for this sort of thing is our specialty. I must say that yours is quite powerful, though. There aren't that many Natural Ability users left anymore."

" _Oh, no,_ " Hiruzen had hoped that his initial theory had been right. Hearing this now meant only one thing, " _That kami forsaken Gaia Effect Theory is in play here!"_ The theory was only known by a few but many didn't pay much attention to it.

Upon first hearing about it a young Hiruzen had thought it was nothing more than a quack theory that only the gullible would believe in, his teammates agreeing with him too. Who wouldn't after all? Later on Hiruzen learned that the ludicrous theory had actually true when he gained the title of Hokage when he read the Hokage's journal in the secret vault.

Hiruzen also had an inkling that if what I'm seeing is true Naruto could potentially be a Late Bloomer Ability User, someone who started out weak but given the chance could have limitless potential.

No one knows who or what Gaia was, the name itself was from a very old and ancient dialect and language from a culture that was either extinct or was now very far from the Shinobi Continent. Essentially the theory was that the world they lived in was a living, breathing entity or deity, or had a symbiotic relationship with one named Gaia, that would sometimes grant others unique powers, ranging from simply unique to very powerful, for whatever reason based off what they cherished or were good at.

Luckily 90% of the time none of it was hereditary.

"How much to keep this information confidential," Hiruzen asked the man. The Abyss had made a deal in the past to never reveal or deal information that related to the Big Five with others, this meant a variety of things. It wouldn't do them any good to lose five big clients.

However, there were two exceptions that had been made. One was that said deal would be annulled if any of them tried to backstab the Abyss and the last one was the discovery of Ability Users, which the Kages hadn't thought much at the time due to how rare and little knowledge they had of them at the time. Most thought they were referring to Bloodline Limits but when the Abyss said otherwise it was more of a special and unique ability the group had not cared as much. Bloodline Limits could be passed on unique abilities not as much.

That move had bitten them in the ass.

So when the Nidaime Hokage, whom Hiruzen later discovered was a Natural Ability User that gave him his unrivalled mastery over water ninjutsu, came into office he had made another deal with them. Currently said deal with the Abyss Auction House was that any information about Konoha Ability Users was to be disclosed with the Hokage first and foremost. Luckily the event was very rare and the Great Five hardly ever dealt with this sort of thing.

"For this type of situation," he thought for a sec before responding, "our standard fee; 50 million ryo in total," the man's smile never faltered.

" _50 million ryo!"_ both Anko and Naruto were shocked by the incredible large of money.

"Done," Hiruzen didn't hesitate to write him a check, though a great sum of money it would hardly put a dent in Konoha's treasury with the amount of missions, clients, and businesses they had.

While the Abyss Auction House was seen as shady by many they never revealed any particular piece of information to anyone else unless authorized by the buyer, and it was for life. Hence the cursed seal they bore on their necks on the off chance one of the members was somehow caught. It only ever happened once but the information he held had not been given and the village the ninja came from no longer existed.

"Always a pleasure doing business with you, Hokage-sama," the man took the check. "Well, now since that part of the business has been taken care of, and if there's nothing else to discuss, I believe we should get down to other business."

"Yes, let's. Anko-chan, Naruto-kun, I'll see you both tomorrow morning instead. Not a word of this to anyone and … be discreet," Hiruzen gave them both a look that said it was not a request but an order that would have serious repercussions if disobeyed.

"Hai," both nodded as they left the room.

"Gaki, come with me," Anko took a hold of him and soon after a few more flickers did they find themselves near a training field.

"Why are we here?" Naruto asked Anko.

"Training grounds, gaki," was her answer. "You need a serious tune-up. If I or Midori weren't in there with you you'd be dead."

"Way to sugar coat it," Naruto muttered.

"I was sugar coating it, gaki. If I wasn't I would have called you dumber than a ten pound bag of stupid," Anko stared at him impassively before sighing, "Look I couldn't give two shits about training some snot nose brat. Hell, I could be training myself and doing other things than doing this."

Naruto didn't care for the insult, she'd pay for that one, but he was confused by what followed, "Then why are you?"

Anko merely looked at him, "Honestly, I still don't know. Never got involved with other Genin much since I was apprenticed at a very young age, was only ever assigned to a temporary Genin team when I took the Chunin exams," she revealed.

"Part me of me however feels responsible for you from the small amount of time I've spent with you and what just transpired. You said you're dream is to become Hokage, right?"

Naruto nodded vigorously, "Yeah! I'm gonna…"

"Ahbabbhubup!" she stopped, "Don't wanna hear it, gaki. It's a good goal and if you get it good for you. But realistically you're a very long way from getting the hat. I wouldn't be able to tell you how to go about it since every Hokage is different. But one thing they had in common was this: leadership, power, willingness to give their lives for the village, and having the backing of the village. Things you're missing."

Naruto merely frowned as Anko listed the things he needed. It wasn't his fault many in the village didn't like him… well maybe doing pranks on others didn't help.

"And in that outfit you'll last even less long," Anko looked at what he was wearing with disgust. "At the moment you're gonna need to focus more on refinement than your offense," Anko suggested. "However, before we do that we're gonna play a little game I like to call, Snake and Mouse," she grinned.

"Uhhh, don't you mean Cat and Mouse?" Naruto asked.

"Not with my version," she said as Midori yawned and her sharp fangs glistened in the sun's rays. "Hey, Midori. Up for a little round of Snake and Mouse?"

Naruto paled considerably. He had seen what Midori could do first hand and wasn't all that interested in being her chew toy … or lunch for that matter.

" **Can't murder now, sleeping,** " she yawned, slithered off somewhere else and then proceeded to go back to sleep.

" _Murder,_ " Naruto paled even further. " _What the hell kinda game is this!?_ '

"Huh? Hey! Get back here! Don't go back to sleep! Hey, wake up you lazy worm!" but it was no use, Anko knew that Midori would have camouflaged and hidden herself very well so trying to find her would be a waste of time. The only indicator that Midori was still nearby was the sound of light breathing from somewhere and the cawing of a crow in the distance.

Anko blushed and hung her head in embarrassment. _"This is not how I envisioned this moment._ "

Naruto meanwhile looked like he was ready to bust a gut and failing hard to hold it in, "If you so much as utter one syllable, gaki, I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN AND GUT YOU LIKE A FISH!" she roared at him

That did the trick.

" _Works like a charm,_ " she loved it when her plans came together.

"Alright, now seeing as how Midori is still getting her beauty sleepy," she glared at the dozing serpent, "Guess we'll have to do some conditional training to see where you're at. Drop and give me 150 push ups."

 **[DAILY QUEST ALERT! (1/10)]**

 **Anko's Tort-Training (Beginners)**

 **Main Quest: Train for more than an hour.**

 **Side Quest: Train for more than 2 hours.**

 **Side Quest 2: Train for more than 3 hours.**

 **Main Quest Completion: +350 EXP, +50 Reputation with Anko**

 **Side Quest 1 Completion: + 150 EXP, +50 Reputation with Anko, "?"**

 **Side Quest 2 Completion: +200 EXP, +100 Reputation with Anko, +2 Attribute Points**

 **Failure: 100 EXP, -100 Reputation with Anko**

 **Note: If you fail the quest you can retake it after twelve hours.**

 **Accept (YES/NO)**

Naruto merely pressed on the "yes" before he cocked an eyebrow, " _Only a hundred and fifty?_ " that was hardly a workout in his mind. Dropping to the ground Naruto proceeded to do his first pushups.

"Wrong," Anko announced. "First off, you need to go all the down, not just part way. Second, your arms and body aren't positioned correctly. You still get a work out but it wouldn't be as intense."

Setting him in the correct stance, which felt very different and awkward than what he was usually used to, Naruto began his pushups. By the time Naruto had reached his last one his arms, while not ready to fall off, were very much sorer than what they used to be.

"Gotta say, gaki, not bad," Anko was being honest as most Genin would be sweating like crazy or on the ground panting. " _The gaki's got a great amount of stamina for his age._ " "Alright, now let's start the next set."

For the next few of hours Anko proceeded to help Naruto correct his forms, especially when it came to the taijutsu portion of it all, which unfortunately he later realized was almost all of them. Some of the exercises he did he was happy to learn were fine while others now felt foreign to him.

Anko had merely stated that since his body was so used to doing it in a certain way it had developed muscle memory for that specific movement, making it easier to perform. Now that he was doing it differently his body was adjusting to the new forms and it would take a while for him to get used to it. Luckily his stamina would help make the process easier.

"Give me ten more front kicks on that log, gaki, and put some muscle into it!" Anko barked as she did her own set of exercises while maintaining a watchful eye on him.

"Sadistic son of a … " Naruto grunted out before kicking the log.

"I heard that! Another twenty!"

Naruto merely grunted some more but proceeded to take off his torn shirt heavily soaked in his sweat after only three hours of working out.

Beforehand he was able to do between four and five hours, sometimes six, before he started sweating like this. It made Naruto realize he really hadn't been do it properly and had a while to go. " _Oh, well. At least I increased my STR by 2 and Taijutsu by 1._ "

Naruto realized that much like the case of having proper kunai and shuriken to throw, using the proper technique when working out increased his stats much more quickly.

"Alright, gaki, you're done physical exercises for the day," Anko announced as he finished his last set.

 **[QUEST COMPLETED!]**

 **Anko's Tort-Training (Beginners)** **!**

 **Main Quest: Train for more than an hour. (Accomplished)**

 **Side Quest: Train for more than 2 hours. (Accomplished)**

 **Side Quest 2: Train for more than 3 hours. (Accomplished)**

 **Total Rewards Earned:**

 **700 EXP, Skill Unlocked, +200 Reputation with Anko, +2 Attribute Points**

 **A special skill has been created through a special act!**

 **Body Conditioning** Lv1. Next Lv 0/75. A passive skill in which the user trains their body to enhance both bodily function and physical capabilities.

 **Note:** This skill can be lost if the user does not take proper care of themselves, either by lack of training or improper diet, or if they have certain negative status effects.

Promotes healthy growth rate

Increases tolerance to illnesses and poisons by 1%

Increases moving speed by 1%

Passively grants +5 STR

Passively grants +5 DEX

"Gotta say not bad. You still got a while to go but not bad, gaki- … Ughhh, oh man, gaki, you reek! I can smell you from over here," the woman pinched her nose.

" **Look who's talking, Anko-san,"** Midori awoke from her nap.

"Well if it isn't sleeping beauty herself. Where were you when I wanted to torture the gaki," the way she said so casually made Naruto shiver and think this wasn't the first time this occurred.

" **Getting some much needed rest,"** Midori yawned some more, " **but in all seriousness, Anko-san, you need a shower,"** Midori's tongue forked out of her mouth, " **though not as badly as him."**

Sniffing himself Naruto didn't think he smelt that bad, "Hey, I-"

"She's got a point, gaki," Anko emphasized her point by pointing towards her pinched nose. "Well, no matter. Now let's move on to your ninjutsu. What do you know, gaki?"

"Uhhhhh-"

"… Oh, kami-sama, please tell me you know some ninjutsu," Anko nearly begged.

"Hey! I know the Kawarimi and Henge!" Naruto shouted.

"… And?" Anko waited.

"And what?"

"That's it!?" Anko was seriously gonna beat Iruka black and blue after this.

"Hey! I'm an academy student!"

"Gaki, when I was an academy student the requirements were everything you just said and more so. Back then it was required that all potential graduates could properly use three C-rank techniques with at least one of them being lethal," Anko explained.

"You mean you guys got to learn awesome ninjutsu! What the hell!" the fairness of it all sucked in his mind.

"What the hell indeed, gaki," Anko sighed, "Do you at least know anything else ninjutsu related?"

"Ummm, oh! We just started learning the leaf balancing exercise," Naruto said.

Anko merely sighed some more, " _They're just_ _now_ _learning it?_ " in the end Anko guessed it was better than nothing, truthfully it was it was almost nothing in her books. "Ok, gaki how far are you at it?"

"Level five uh… I mean five leaves," Naruto corrected when Anko gave him the look. Anko was a skilled tracker and with Midori's help she could track down almost anyone. Sensing others however was different as many had methods of hiding themselves from trackers such as both her and Midori. It wouldn't do anyone any good to know about his ability. It was a ninja village after all and not everyone was loyal to the Hokage, it was foolish to think so otherwise.

"Five leaves, ok pretty good," she was being honest as most by now would still be level three at best, considering Naruto's condition of being the Kyubi's jinchuriki and his above average chakra levels for even a Jounin it was pretty impressive.

"Ok, so we can skip on that then, I want you to work on that though till you get it up to ten leaves," here Anko adopted a thinking pose on what she could do next. "Hmm, ah! I got it! Snake and Mouse, and if you try to duck out on me Midori I'll shish kabob you before you have time to turn into your former self," Anko glared at the sheepish looking serpent.

"So feel like you're up for it, gaki?"

 **[DAILY QUEST ALERT! (2/10)]**

 **Snake and Mouse (Beginners)**

 **Main Quest: Avoid being captured by Midori for 3 minutes.**

 **Side Quest: Avoid being captured by Midori for 4.5 minutes.**

 **Side Quest: Avoid being captured by Midori for 6.5 minutes.**

 **Main Quest Completion: +550 EXP, +250 Reputation with Anko and Midori**

 **Side Quest 1 Completion: + 125 EXP, +75 Reputation with Anko and Midori, "?"**

 **Side Quest 2 Completion: +200 EXP, +100 Reputation with Anko and Midori, "?" +2 Attribute Points**

 **Failure: 150 EXP**

 **Note: If you fail the quest you can retake it after twelve hours.**

 **Accept (YES/NO)**

Naruto wholeheartedly pressed on the yes, "Bring it," was has his reply.

"You got balls, gaki," Anko liked the kid's moxie. "Now gaki because you wouldn't last a second against Midori, or myself, I want to be fair so here are the rules."

"Telling me the rules is being fair?" since when was that a thing? "How the hell does that work?"

"Simple, I never tell the rules when I play this game," Anko's sadistic grin appeared.

"Oh, that's fair then," Naruto nearly squeaked.

"Rule one; you're gonna have a thirty second head start, use it well… ok that's not really a rule and more of a generous offering than anything. Rule two; Midori's gonna come at you with the intent to kill, ya don't wanna get bitten so you gotta do the same, gaki. And rule three; READY, SET, GO!" she suddenly shouted.

"No fair! That's cheating!" Naruto ran into the woods as fast as his exhausted body could.

"We're ninja, gaki! Cheating's what we do and life's not fair! Get used to it!" Anko shouted back, "Try not to hurt him too much, Midori."

" **No promises, Anko-chan,** " Midori's grin was similar to her summoner. " **Twenty one seconds left.** "

Meanwhile Naruto ran and leaped from the trees as fast as he could, trying to find a good hiding spot. However, Naruto only managed to go so far before he was forced to come to a stop at a nearby tree. Naruto needed to catch his breath his body was still very sore and tired from Anko's workout and his small break had been nowhere enough to get his energy back.

" **Status Effects! ...** Oh, crap I should have seen this coming, **"** Naruto cursed at the bad luck.

 **Status Effects:**

 **Malnourished:** Hampered physical growth rate, -25% to VIT, DEX, and STR stat base, +20% vulnerability to poisons

 **Fatigue:** Your physical capabilities such as your strength, stamina, dexterity, etc are temporarily reduced by 70%.

One of the things Naruto when going over the had learned while going over the **Guide Book** was that while his VIT stat governed his health levels, his stamina, and his ability to regain health outside of combat, his fatigue was much different. Only certain actions such as napping, sleeping, consuming certain things, or skills could do something about it.

"Oh, I'm screwed," Naruto realized he was in trouble. Adding to the fact that he smelled and Midori could track him by smell Naruto knew that he'd be unable to outrun or hide for long,

"HERE SHE COMES, GAKI!" he heard Anko's shouting.

"Oh, crap!" Naruto needed to think of something fast otherwise he'd become Midori's chew toy.

Looking for a possible solution Naruto did what he did best. Improvise.

* * *

(With Midori)

As Midori used her sensitive tongue to try and locate her prey part of her couldn't help but think that this was a tad unfair. Midori had twenty three years of experience under her belt. Even when she was little she was a deadly predator, granted her poison back then wasn't as potent, for summons at least.

For her to be hunting down an academy student like this was embarrassing in her books. Sure Naruto had potential and his unique ability would allow him to grow stronger, but as he was now the boy didn't stand a chance against her.

Little to no ninjutsu, his taijutsu had many flaws, the list went on and on. Forking her tongue out once more Midori managed to pin point Naruto's location within a tree. " **Poor boy must still be exhausted from Anko's training."**

The serpent sighed, the game as Anko so affectionately called it was over before it began. " **Still for him to have lasted 56 seconds is not bad for a start... granted she did give him a 30 second head start and I'm going easy on him."**

Had she taken this seriously it would have been over much sooner. As soon as she came upon the tree where Naruto's scent was at its strongest, Midori sped up in the blink of an eye and found herself quickly wrapping around a log instead of her prey, " **What? How… Ah, the boy's more clever than he looks."**

The log in questions was about Naruto's height and covered in his scent thanks to the boy's shorts and torn he wore during his workout. " **He managed to use my senses against me-"**

BOOM!

Midori's thoughts were cut short as she found herself enveloped in an explosion. Being a summon her skin and bones were much denser and tougher than a regular snake and an exploding tag wouldn't be enough to kill or hamper her. Sting and give her light burns yes, but not much else.

However, Midori soon realized that the explosion lacked the telltale sting of fire and concussive force associated with an Exploding Tag, in fact the cloud had a slightly red hue to it. " **Wha-AHHHHHHH!"**

Midori soon began writhing and hissing in pain. Her senses, tongue, and eyes felt like they were on fire from whatever was used in that tag. Midori could only curse her careless behavior for allowing herself to believe this would be simple and quick. She had forgotten how Anko had informed her of the boy's pranking habits and now she was suffering for it.

" ** _Not as much as he'll suffer after I catch him!_** " the angry serpent thought as she got as far away from the cloud of red as best as she could, her senses still impaired and her eyesight and tongue still burning. Forking her tongue out it took several tries before Midori managed to catch the scent of water from a nearby river. Making her way to towards it, and bumping into things along the way, Midori dove headfirst into the water to cleanse her body of the powder that hurt her.

As a minute passed, Midori realized that the boy had managed to evade her for a little under 3 minutes thanks to the stunt he pulled, the serpent pulled her head out of the water and forked her tongue to try and catch his scent once more.

" **That damn cloud is making this difficult,"** currently the trees were the only areas where Naruto's scent was at it's strongest. " **Where could he have-"**

Whipping her head around Midori realized what Naruto had done, " **He dove into the water to mask himself."**

Midori had to admit that despite wanting to rip him to shreds for what she suffered she was beginning to become more and more impressed with Naruto. From her observation he boy wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but she greatly underestimated his ability to formulate plans on the fly, something that was of great importance for shinobi.

" **But now this ends,"** she was done taken fooling around and hissed as she dove back into the water and swam with the current, her natural speed and the swiftness of the river made her seem like a blur and invisible to the eye.

Gasping for air as he came out of the river Naruto dragged himself to shore, the action taking some effort due to the **Fatigue** status effect currently affecting him. "Need to do something about that," he gasped.

 **Three Minutes Have Passed!**

Naruto allowed himself to smirk as saw the words. "Looks like my plan wo-AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed as he flew through the air and smacked into a tree. "Owww," he groaned and saw that the stunt had cost him 300 HP.

Getting to his feet as quickly as he could the blond soon found his actions were for not as he found himself bound tightly to the tree. Using Kawarimi was now out of the question as it was meant to be used before being captured or before a technique struck them, with only those who mastered it being capable of replacing themselves out of certain confinements.

Hearing a particularly vicious hiss Naruto came face to face with a very angry looking snake. "Heh, heh … I surrender?"

Midori merely smirked before opening her mouth, showing off a series of very sharp teeth. "...Oh, shit. Can we talk this over?"

Her vicious grin was her answer, "Uh-oh," was all he managed to utter before she lunged, "AHHHH!"

* * *

(With Anko)

"Hmm, three minutes and forty seconds, either the gaki's better than I thought or Midori's gotten slow," Anko thought as she checked her timer.

Crash!

"…Then again," barely surprised by the event Anko lazily looked at the boy, "Oh, hey, gaki. How'd it go?"

"Ughhh," a bruised and slightly bleeding Naruto groaned. Had he the energy Naruto would be giving her the finger. He'd risk losing it or suffer from more pain but it'd be worth it in his mind… maybe.

"Where's Midori?"

"Speak of the devil and she'll appear," a very content Midori slithered into view and was even happier when Naruto tried to squirm away from her.

"What'd you do to him, Midori?"

"One word: payback," was her answer.

"Ah," Anko and Midori were so much like in that department that she understood perfectly, "Anyways, good job lasting that long, gaki. Go home, shower and get some rest," Anko informed him.

"Rest? It's still early in the afternoon!"

"Really? Huh?" with the series of events that occurred today Anko had gotten the impression it was much later, "Well, then shower and then meet me here in an hour, gaki. Bring your wallet too."

After giving him a slip of paper both Anko and Midori subsequently left.

"Hey! I still can't move!" Naruto shouted but was met with silence, "God damn it."

 **[DAILY QUEST COMPLETED! (1/3)]**

 **Snake and Mouse (Beginners)**

 **Main Quest: Avoid being captured by Midori for 3 minutes. (Accomplished)**

 **Total Rewards Earned:**

 **550 EXP, +250 Reputation with Anko and Midori**

"Now's not the time!" Naruto shouted at the textbox. He couldn't do much else to it so screaming at something that only he could see would have to do. Even if it did make others think he was crazy.

(Sometime Later)

After the fatigue status effect wore off, Naruto made his way towards his apartment. As he entered it, Naruto was greeted with the sight of a man welcoming him.

"Greetings, Mr. Uzumaki," the Abyss manager spoke.

"Huh!? What the fuck?!" Naruto shouted.

"Brat watch your mouth! And keep it down damn it or I'm kicking your ass out of here!" the landlord shouted from his room.

"You have … interesting neighbors, Uzumaki-san," the man sweatdropped, not expecting that in the least. "Anyways, I'm here to offer you a deal."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man, "Don't worry it's nothing illegal such as dealing information or anything bad. I simply want to make you a client," he smiled.

"…Huh?" of all the things he was expected to be asked that was the furthest thing from his mind. "A client?"

"Yes, oh don't worry we intend to make, Anko-san our client as well if she's interested. You two should feel lucky as not many are given this opportunity," he smiled.

"Pass!" Naruto announced.

"Pardon?"

"P.A.S.S Pass!" Naruto repeated. "Why would I want to be a client! What would you guys have that I would need?"

"Well, for one access to items and information that no body else does. Including Uchiha Sasuke," the man smiled and counted. " _3, 2, 1, and…"_

"… What's the catch?" Naruto was slightly curious.

" _Hook, line, and sinker,_ " the man loved his job, "Nothing much. As a client anything you sell through us we take a cut of the profits; a total of 15% to be precise. Any bounties you collect through us we take a 20% cut of the profit. There are a few rules however that need to be followed."

Here he gave Naruto a small scroll that outlined that goods that dealt in slave trade would result in immediate termination of membership and loss of goods still in transaction. Any false advertising of goods would lead to the same and potentially death if he continued he shuddered at that. And it also outlined a few other things such as the principle of supply and demand, whatever that was, and whatnot.

"Also as a client you get this."

The man pulled out a scroll and from it came a small rectangular black box and a square silver box, both bearing the kanji for "A & H, "Hey, isn't that a portable computer?"

"Laptops, and yes."

Computers themselves had been around for close to twenty five years as Naruto recalled with the majority having little use for ninja except for office work and surveillance, banking and what not and were kinda slow. It also allowed information to be sent from one country to the next, though it was expensive due to the few who had them and as common practice Courier-Ninja were still used for the delivery of high confidential and important documents instead.

Portable ones Naruto had heard allowed for faster processing and compiling of data, didn't really need wires to access information, using wireless whatever it was called, but were mostly used by nobles because it of how expensive and prestigious they were.

"This laptop is specially designed by us and will allow you to gain access to public and known information at your very finger tips. Restricted information such as village secrets however isn't, but things such as history, simulations and whatnot are available. This little number also allows you access to our online shop, for safety and confidential purposes you'll be completely anonymous but an account name that won't give you away."

Looking at him the man say that Naruto was getting more and more intrigued, "So, Mr. Uzumaki, do we have a deal?"

Naruto's grin was all he needed to know and shook his hand and left. As Naruto began to set up his new tool the manager's head popped back in, …By the way you really need to take a shower, Uzumaki-san, later!"

"HEY!"

"BRAT, SHUT UP!"

Needless to say his life wouldn't be dull anymore.

* * *

 **Here you guys go. Pictures in a link in my profile at the buttom. Use CTRL F and type Gamer and you'll get there quickly.**

 **Also just letting you know that only Naruto as an Ability User is going to be shown, others will be alluded to and he may face 1 as an OC dungeon boss but that's about it, and chances of anyone other than the Abyss manager from the Gamer Manhwa appearing are slim to none, just this guy that's it.**

 **If you're wondering why did Naruto not last longer in the physical workouts it's because the other times he did it he was doing them incorrectly and not getting the full workout. Trust when I first worked out solo I did the same thing till someone corrected me and trained with me. I could barely do 40 minutes instead of my whole hour because the way i did it wasn't pushing my muscles to their max. Got a workout but wasn't a good one.**

 **And no Naruto will not start telling everyone about his ability or go into teams to grind his skills or level up, that will be very long before time it happens. He's a ninja and he wants how strong he is not give his rivals an advantage to get stronger than him. He wants to boast his abilities, can't do that when others get stronger than you and don't think much of them.**

 **Finally the world of Naruto in this story is a little more technologically advanced, no guns or super tech though. So computers, early wireless laptops are available but very expensive.**

 **Next Chapter is out next week so give me tons of reviews please and thank you, give me about 50 by Sunday and I'll post it on Thursday or Friday. Got 5000 words already done. Enjoy your summer!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Taking Things Up a Notch**

After setting up his laptop and his account name, **O.N.,** Naruto then proceeded to then take a shower, and let the warm water put him to sleep. Waking about several minutes later when the water turned cold the blond got out and put on a decent pair of relatively clean clothes and made his way to the address Anko had provided him with his trusty and decently plump Gama-chan in toe. "Ok, the place should be right ... here."

Looking up Naruto had to admit the shop was pretty decent, "Higurashi's Shinobi Arms," he muttered to himself.

"You made it, gaki, and on time also, good," Anko said from behind him.

"Ghaaahhhh! Quit doing that!" Naruto was seriously wondering if nearly getting a heart attack from her surprise appearances was gonna lead to an actual heart attack.

"Oh, quit your bitchin, gaki. You should see this coming. Think of it as training to detect people before you get your ass kicked," Anko waved him off before going into the store. "Coming or not?"

Following after her Naruto was greeted with the sight of various weapons, ninja tools, and protective gear. From katana to tantos, light to heavy armor, and shuriken to custom made kunai. All in all, everything looked to be in prestigious order.

"Woah," Naruto was in awe at what he saw.

"Pretty much sums it," Anko had reacted the same way when she first came in here, "Place has been here since Konoha's founding. Pricy compared to the other retailers but if you want top notch quality goods this is the place to get your stuff."

"Nice ta hear you say that, Anko," a tall six foot four man spoke. "Who's the kid? Thought you said you'd give up dango before mentoring?"

"Not really mentoring, just giving the gaki a few pointers," Anko argued but even she knew it was still _technically_ mentoring another. "Besides it's not like I was serious when I said it."

"I believe your words were, and I quote; "I'd rather give up dango than teach some snot nose brats who wouldn't know shit on how to use kunai or shuriken even if their lives depended on it." Remember now?" the man asked an embarrassed looking kunoichi.

"Wow, way to sugar coat it," Naruto groused.

"I was sugar coating it, kid. You should hear Anko's other sayings, especially when alcohol loosens her tongue," the man stopped when Anko sent him the evil eye and decided to change the subject, "Tetsumaru, friends call me Tetsu. Owner of this fine establishment and retired ninja," the man introduced himself.

Naruto didn't doubt that he was a former ninja the way he held himself. Tetsu had very muscular arms that were the size of Naruto's head, tan skin, dark brown hair and goatee with a wicked scar that went along his right eye with an eye-patch covering it up. He was pretty good looking and had a very good build and it was evident that he was all muscle and little to no fat. It made Naruto wonder why the man was no longer a ninja. He looked pretty strong in his books.

"Why aren't you a ninja anymore?" in typically Naruto manner the boy was blunt and to the point.

" _Ughh,_ " Anko mentally face palmed, " _Gotta teach the gaki about subtlety and tact._ "

Tetsu frowned momentarily, "You don't beat around the bush do you, kid?"

 **Your lack of thinking and tact has resulted in -50 Reputation with Anko.**

" _Crap!_ " Naruto was mentally kicking himself. "Sorry."

 **Your luck has held out and Tetsu was not offended by your lack of thinking and tact.**

" _That's convenient,_ " loosing some reputation with Anko sucked but Naruto counted himself lucky that he gained quite a bit with her and it could have been worse.

Tetsu's frown however quickly disappeared, "Bah, no harm done, kid," he said and slapped the boy on the back as a show of good faith, accidentally knocking Naruto over in the process.

"Oww," Naruto groaned from the floor.

"Oops, scrawny little thing aren't ya, kid?" he laughed as he helped a grumbling Naruto up. "Anyways to answer your question I'm a widower. My wife Tenka passed away several years back and I've been raising our daughter Tenten by myself. Girl's tough as nails but took to losing her mother kinda hard even if she didn't show it. Didn't want her growing up without a parent and being a shinobi is an occupational hazard so I retired from active duty and began training her when she said she wanted to become a kunoichi."

"Oh, yeah. Didn't little Ten-chan graduate this year?" Anko asked having gotten acquainted with the man's daughter through her visits.

"Yep, kunoichi of the year," he puffed out with pride, "being taught by Maito Gai of all people so it's mostly me here with a few workers now that she's a Genin."

"Gai's teaching students?" Anko was shocked and Naruto saw what he thought was a brief look of sympathy. "Oh, those poor brats. How's she holding up?"

"Well," here Tetsu dragged the word, "Let's just say she's happy one of her team-members is normal."

"That bad?"

"She's been with them for a few months and while she can tolerate him and his little mini-me she's still not used to it," was another way of putting it. "But make no mistake, Gai's one of Konoha's elite Jonin for a reason."

Anko wouldn't dispute that claim, eccentric as Gai was, and that was putting it very lightly, like Kakashi the man was not only one of Konoha's strongest Jonin, but Hi no Kuni's as well.

"Anyways you two obviously didn't come here to talk," Tetsu got down to business, "What can I do for you?"

"Not much for me really but the gaki here is in need of equipment," Anko told him.

"How much you got, kid?"

"A little over 15,000 ryo?" Naruto said and Tetsu was a little surprised considering Naruto was an orphan.

"Been saving up, huh? Well, to be frank that kind of money won't get you some of our better equipment or weapons other than shuriken and kunai and a few stacks of Low Grade Exploding Tags but we do have some decent protective gear in that price range over there. Just holler if you need help, got a project that needs finishing."

"Thanks," Naruto proceeded to browse through the selection before spotting something in a box, "Hey, nice!"

"Found something, gak- What the hell is that!?" Anko couldn't believe what he was holding.

In his hands was as an orange jumpsuit with blue on the upper shoulders area as well as around the waist, a white swirl with a tassel on the left side, a red swirl crest on the back, a large white collar, orange pants wrapped around from the hanger.

"What do you think? Looks cool huh?" Naruto grinned at the find.

Anko's eye however merely twitched, "Gaki, step away from that monstrosity and no one gets hurt."

"What? But it's cool, orange, and cheap… and orange!" Naruto whined and held the outfit protectively.

"Mmmm, good point," Anko said.

"Really?"

"HELL NO!" she lied.

"What's going on here?" Tetsu asked, "I leave not ten seconds and… what the hell is that," he pointed at the outfit.

"My new outfit I found?"

"Ok, rephrase. What the hell is _that_ doing in my store? There's no way in hell I'd have something like that here," Tetsu stated before realization dawned on him, "Tenten."

"Huh?"

"Nothing," Tetsu waved him off. His daughter was a good kunoichi and had a great deal of interest and understanding with weapons but got very obsessive and narrow minded when new ninja tools came in. When it came to armor and clothing however not so much and it must have slipped her mind when she signed the forms."

"Where'd you find that anyway?"

"In that box over there, why?" Naruto pointed behind him.

Marching over Tetsu briefly opened the box, closed it just as quickly, took Naruto's outfit before he had time to react, disappeared into the back of his store, before coming back out seconds later, "Well that outta keep the fires going for a while," Tetsu dusted his hands.

"… But it was orange?" Naruto didn't understand the big deal.

"It was an eyesore, had no business in my store, and was a huge target with all that bright kill on sight color. You might as well wear a target sign that says, "Here I am world come kill me!" Tetsu finished but noticed Naruto's saddened expression, " _Ah, damn it._ Tell you what kid because it's your first time here I'll give you a discount."

Naruto was still sulking but he had to admit the offer was tempting, "And some free Exploding Tags?"

"…Fine, low grades ones though but only after you graduate. Konoha law prevents me from selling weapons to minors without the approval of a legal guardian, village official, or till they gain the rank of Genin. The only weapons I could sell you are practice weapons and shuriken and kunai and even then waivers need to be signed," Tetsu agreed before motioning him to follow.

 **Your Bartering skill has levelled up!**

 **Bartering.** Lv2. Next Lv 29/150. This skill allows the user to successfully barter with others in order to acquire certain services or information. Such things include the buying and selling of items, the exchange of information, or others, the higher the level of this skill the greater the success and rewards.

Note: Your reputation with individuals, and their rank, will play a big role in the success of bartering.

Buying and selling price bonus are currently 6%

Increases your persuasion by 12%

" _Sweet!_ " Naruto grinned as he followed the man.

"Alright, let's see here," taking some quick measurements of Naruto Tetsu soon picked out a few ensembles for the boy. "Here you go have a gander."

Going to the dressing room and closing the door Naruto muttered **Observe** the clothing he was given.

* * *

 **Basic Ninja Set:**

 **Basic Ninja Tunic (Dark Blue) - Common Quality**

 **Armor**

 **Durability: 30/30**

 **Ordinary and basic protective upper armor used by ninja in training when they practice mock fighting or physical exercises. May not look like much but is decently durable.**

 **Defense: 10**

 **Basic Ninja Pants (Dark Blue) - Common Quality**

 **Armor**

 **Durability: 25/25**

 **Ordinary and basic protective pants armor used by ninja in training when they practice mock fighting or physical exercises. May not look like much but is decently durable.**

 **Defense: 7**

 **Basic Ninja Gloves (Dark Blue) - Common Quality**

 **Armor**

 **Durability: 20/20**

 **Ordinary and basic protective hand armor used by ninja in training, the material used in these gloves offers a decent amount of protection and allows for one to strike harder.**

 **Defense: 7**

 **Boost Stats: +1 STR**

 **Basic Ninja Sandals (Dark Blue) - Common Quality**

 **Armor**

 **Durability: 20/20**

 **Ordinary and basic protective foot armor used by ninja in training. May not look like much but is decently durable and allows for swift footwork.**

 **Defense: 5**

 **Stat Boost: +1 DEX**

 **Dark Orange Undershirt**

 **Durability: 15/15**

 **An ordinary shirt that is mainly used for fashion instead of defense.**

 **Defense: 1**

 **Total Defense: 30**

 **Total Stat Boosts: +1 STR & +1 DEX**

* * *

Naruto had to admit that it was a heck of a lot better than what he had before and it looked pretty decent too with the orange undershirt. "Hey, gaki hurry up. You posing in the mirror or something?"

Frowning at the words it was soon replaced by a smirk as an idea popped into his head, " **Oiroke no Jutsu!** "

Hearing the opening of the door Tetsu and Anko looked his way only instead of seeing Naruto they saw a nude cloud wisped covered Mitarashi Anko, "You called," was the doppelganger's sultry response. For Tetsu the effect was instantaneous as the man was launched into a wall thanks to the sudden nosebleed.

 **Your actions have resulted in +500 Reputation with Tetsu.**

" _Don't know if I should be creeped out or happy about that?_ "Naruto thought as looked upon the unconscious Tetsu.

"Ahem," was Anko's response, "First off, my breasts are bigger than that, gaki. If you're gonna transform into me get it right."

To say he was stunned by her response was an enormous understatement, "Huh?"

"Secondly, you're a few inches shorter than I am, work on it. Thirdly… god damn I look good," Anko looked at 'herself'. " I knew I was good looking but to see it like this, damn!" here she gave her 'own' breast a squeeze. "

"What the hell!" a back to normal Naruto wondered why his plan didn't work, the breast touching thing had been weird as hell too. " _She's good,_ " Naruto realized that the woman had made his prank work against him.

"If you think me seeing myself naked would get a rise out of me you're dead wrong, gaki. Kunoichi and shinobi do missions that sometimes require us to use a little more physical interaction and sex appeal in order to get the job done," Naruto understood the meaning and blushed a bit.

"Better luck next time, gaki," she grinned before looking him over, "Gotta say though, not bad. Good look for you, hell of a lot better than that jumpsuit you found," she mentally shuddered.

"Uhh," Tetsu groaned as he woke up, "Damn, I just had the weirdest dream… Oh, wait."

"So, Tetsu, like what you saw?" Anko emphasized it by pressing her breast together and not so subtly thrusting them forward, getting a rise out of him.

"Damn it, now there's two of you," the man cursed and thanked his luck that Anko hadn't managed to influence Tenten the rare times he had her look after the girl and that Tenten had adopted her mother's obsession for weapons instead.

"How much?" Naruto asked him.

"For you kid, 9,000 ryo for the three sets, plus a free stack of **Low Grade Exploding Tags** when you become a Genin, I'll even throw this book in on how to maintain your protective gear for 450 ryo, so a total of 9450 ryo," usually it would have cost him that much for just two sets as while it wasn't the greatest of protective gear the material was much stronger and durable than the ones used by civilian clothing stores. Wouldn't do ninja any good if the gear they wore were that weak.

"Thanks!" Naruto was happy as many of the other stores wouldn't give him such a good deal. "Umm, I was wondering if there was enough left for a decent weapon? When I graduate I mean!" he added.

"Hmm, maybe but before we go there let's do a bit of testing first," more than once did would newly graduates or those who wanted a weapon would buy something thinking it was cool when Tetsu was out and later came back to return their purchase because they had no idea how to use it or it felt off.

"Ok, first off any weapon experience other than kunai or shuriken?" he asked the blond.

"Uh… I used a lead pipe a few times does that count?" Naruto asked and missed Anko face palming behind him.

"A lead pipe?" that was definitely a new one in his books, "Anko?"

"Gaki used one against a wooden post to strengthen himself when he could afford a real weapon," Anko covered for him.

Tetsu merely shrugged and believed the lie, " _That or he isn't wanting to push,_ " Anko thought.

"So experience with blunt weapons. Not much of a selection in that category as most ninja more or less use bladed weapons, unless you're from Iwa. Take a look kid and see if anything catches your eye," Tetsu pointed at the wall.

Casting **Observe** on the blunt weapons Naruto had to admit he was impressed.

* * *

 **Kanabō (Iron Mace) – Uncommon Quality**

 **Blunt Weapon**

 **Durability 60/60**

 **A studded club made of dense iron. Despite its unimpressive appearance it is a strong weapon capable of crushing bone and rocks if properly wielded. Is commonly used by samurai, ronin, and bandits. Though very durable and capable of crippling anything it strikes its size and weight make it a very cumbersome weapon to use.**

 **Attack Power: 60-72**

 **Requirements: +65 STR**

 **Bō (Staff) – Common Quality**

 **Blunt Weapon**

 **Durability 50/50**

 **A very tall and long staff made of reinforced wood with metal guards meant to deflect metal objects and increase striking force. Typically used by Bojutsu users the Bo is a very versatile weapon as it can be used to block, strike, sweep and knock away weapons from enemies at distance and keep them at bay. A downside is that the length of it makes it difficult to fight in close or tight quarters unless one is a master of Bojutsu.**

 **Attack Power: 46-53**

 **Requirements: +20 STR, +35 DEX**

 **Hanbō (Half Staff) – Common Quality**

 **Blunt Weapon**

 **Durability: 40/40**

 **Half the size of its cousin the Bo this weapon is not to be mocked as many sword-masters used this very weapon before training in the sword. Made of reinforced wood this weapon is usually used with two hands in a manner similar to a bokken and allows one to use sword-based techniques with it, without the cutting. Due to its size the Hanbo can't strike as hard as the Bo but allows for swifter movements and close quarter combat.**

 **Attack Power: 35-42**

 **Requirements: +20 STR, +25 DEX**

 **Tanbō (Short Staff) – Common Quality**

 **Blunt Weapon**

 **Durability 30/30**

 **This short hardwood staff is used in the same way as its cousin the hanbō. Used mainly in pairs and used for thrusting, checks or deflections, pummelling the enemy this weapon's unassuming size makes many underestimate the user which often lead to their demise. Speed, distance, accuracy, timing, as well as knowing pressure point striking play a very important factor when using the weapon. Due to its very small size the user needs to get in close and personal with their opponent in order to strike them.**

 **Attack Power: 26-33 * 2**

 **Requirements: +40 DEX**

 **Nunchaku (Nunchuks) – Uncommon Quality**

 **Blunt Weapon**

 **Durability 40/40**

 **Though Nunchuks aren't the most used weapons in the world, and few are masters of them, they are still very dangerous weapons. Two strong pieces of wood connected by a chain allows for rapid and erratic movement and sudden unexpected strikes and entanglement of limbs and weapons in the chain. Originally used as a way for one to develop ones dexterity and reflexes in the right hands this weapon can be lethal.**

 **Attack Power: 54-69**

 **Requirements: +55 DEX, Mastered Basic Blunt Mastery**

* * *

As Naruto went through them all he couldn't help but drool a bit at how awesome the weapons were. The kanabo and nunchuks were out at the moment as his stats and level wouldn't allow him to properly use them. The Bo staff Naruto had to admit was pretty good but felt a bit off to him, Tetsu had said it was most likely the size was too long and gave him a smaller one.

Fairly long still but it felt more comfortable. As he tried the rest of them Naruto had to say that he currently felt more comfortable with the hanbo and tanbo, more so with the hanbo as the feeling was similar to when he used the pipe.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"Sorry, kid, but that's all the blunt weapons I have. Like I said ninja use mostly bladed weapons. You can take a look at the bladed weapons over there if you like."

Giving it a shot, as there wasn't anything to lose, Naruto's eyes wandered over the multiple swords that ranged from small than his arm to being twice as long as his body. He had to admit while his lead pipe made a good weapon it would make more sense for him to have a proper weapon such as tanto or ninjato. Then again conforming to the norm wasn't really his style. There was just one problem.

"They're too expensive," Naruto groaned. With the amount of money needed for such weapons he'd need to grind a couple more times in the zombie dungeon and suddenly coming here with that amount of money would raise questions.

As he continued to look at the array of bladed weapons Naruto's eyes were suddenly locked on to a very large and sword that hung above the others, "What's that?"

"Hmm?" casting a look Tetsu merely chuckled, "Sorry, kid, that ain't for sale. That baby's mine."

"What is it?"

"That's a **zanbato** (Horse-Slaying Sword), and sorry kid but there's no way in hell you're gonna be able to lift **Zanma** (Decapitating Demon) as you are now. Took me years to get the physical strength and experience I needed to use it at its max. Hung her up there when I retired. If you want one you're gonna have to show me you have the required strength and only then will I make a special order and that isn't cheap, especially for a zanbato."

"Can't be that heavy," Naruto said.

"That sword there weighs a little over 250 kilograms … that's a little over 550 pounds, and that's with seals on it to make it lighter," he elaborated to a bug eyed Naruto.

Casting his **Observe** on it Naruto was shocked to see that everything was in "?", meaning the weapon was levels too high or powerful for him to see anything on it.

"Why do you call it, Zanma?" Naruto asked and in response Tetsu merely rummaged through some things before tossing him a little black book.

"Bingo Book? What's that? **"**

Tetsu merely looked at Anko with a disbelieving look mouthing, "Really?" her way which she signed, "Don't ask," to him with her hand.

"Basically when a ninja does certain things they get themselves put into that book. Usually a person's name is put in there for things they did in the war against the enemy, defected, stole and have critical knowledge, or they did horrible things."

Immediately a window popped up in front of Naruto when he finished.

* * *

 **Bounty Hunting**

There are many ways for one to earn money in the world, one of the most lucrative ways is collecting bounties. Bounties are placed on individuals for a multitude of reasons such as actions done against enemy factions, attacking others and villages, or for being a Nuke-nin. The value of bounties vary in different countries for different reasons as some may pay more for the corpse while others will pay less, some bounties will even require the individual to be brought in alive. Bounties much like missions are separated into categories: D, C, B, A, S, and above.

 **Note:** Depending on the individual a bounty can have either negative or positive outcomes such as the gratitude of a village or the wrath of a lover, clan or family.

 **Note:** The rank of an individual in the Bingo Books doesn't always relate to their strength as some may simply have stolen valuable information or irreplaceable items from a village.

 **Average D-Rank Bounties: 30,000 – 49,999**

 **Average C-Rank Bounties: +50,000 -149,999**

 **Average B-Rank Bounties: +150,000 -999,999**

 **Average A-Rank Bounties: +1,000,000 – 79,999,999**

 **Average S-Rank Bounties: +80,000,000 – 149,999,999**

 **Above S-Rank Bounties: +149,999,999**

* * *

Browsing through it, Naruto came upon Tetsu's page did his eyes bulge out, "Twenty nine million ryo with Iwa and Kumo but sixty million ryo with Kiri!" he looked at the grinning man. If what he read was true it meant the man was an A-rank ninja, in other words a former Jonin. "What the hell did you do?"

Tetsu merely gave him a blank look as he pointed to the book in his hands, "…Oh, right," Naruto realized that it was a dumb thing to say. "Wanted for killing Juzo Biwa of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kiri, aka the **Kekkon no Kijin** (Blood-Soaked Demon)."

"Don't let it fool you that man was very strong but his encounter with Maito Dai, may he rest in peace, weakened him. Turns out Kiri wanted to replace him with another potential swordsman and he set out to prove he was still fit for action and began slaughtering civilian women, children, men and ninja without mercy. I tracked that bastard down and fought him several days later and chopped off his head, took my eye in the process though. That psychopath was too dangerous and insane to be left alive. That's how Zanma earned her name and I was called **Zanmato no Tetsumaru** (Tetsu of the Decapitating Demon Blade), got a very nice nest egg from him too, " Tetsu finished with a grin. The man nearly fainted when he collected the bounty on the man's head, his wife however did faint.

"So that's why you're in the Bingo Books?"

"Well… partly," here the man was slightly embarrassed.

"Huh?"

"After finishing off Juzo, Tetsu here got it into his head to take the **Kubikiribōchō** (Decapitating Carving Knife), Juzo's weapon, back with him to Konoha," Anko jumped in.

"So? What's so important about this guy and his sword?"

The comment once more got Anko to hang her head, " _Seriously what the hell do they teach these brats nowadays?_ " she was going back to the Hokage Tower after this. Not knowing who the Seven Swordsmen of Kiri were was a warning sign in her mind. Konoha's Genin would most likely be made a laughing stock if they didn't know this sort of thing, " _Then again the gaki's not the sharpest tool in the pouch. Could have just skipped through that lesson._ "

"The Seven Swordsmen date back to when Kiri was founded, gaki. They are one of Kiri's most elite and strongest fighters and their swords are wanted for their unique properties and abilities. To them the death of a one of the Seven Swordsmen is not as important as the whereabouts and safety of one of their swords. If one of them dies they can be replaced, the swords can't because the ones who made them aren't alive anymore along with the materials used being unknown. In the Kubikiribōchō's case the sword is the almost the same size as Zanma but not only is the metal one third of the weight but as strong as the densest of metals. Add that it regenerates itself by using the iron in the blood of those it cuts and you've got yourself a badass weapon," Anko had to admit it was her kind of weapon, too bad it was too cumbersome for her to use and didn't support her fighting style.

"That's why I wanted it, kid. Think about it! You have a family sword, an heirloom that's been in your family for generations, and it gets severed. The Kubikiribōchō's ability allows it to go from severed to fully restored in a matter of minutes and all it needs is blood. My wife was a genius when it came to weapons," here Anko snorted and muttered OCD weapon fanatic, "in her hands she and Iō* could probably have figured out a way to replicate its ability and find a way that didn't require the use of blood."

Here the man may sighed, "Unfortunately, I lost the goddamn thing in a skirmish a couple days later against Kiri's **Hijō Konbi** (Heartless Pair) Jinpachi Munashi and Kushimaru Kuriare. Both of which were members of Seven Swordsmen and bloodthirsty deviants that if anyone other than a Swordsmen or the Kage touched the Seven Swordsmen blades would be killed. Alone I had a better chance of winning against one of them but against both of them I'd have better luck trying to get a rock to float in water. Adding to the fact I had a Genin team with me meant we had no choice but to bolt. Luckily they were more interested in the sword so I threw it in a deep ravine with a strong current and they chased after it instead of us. Important as the sword was the life of another wasn't worth it. But me trying to steal one of their fabled swords had me blacklisted with Kiri ever since. They take that kind of thing very seriously."

"Gotta say I don't care much about history but that was actually pretty good compared to Iruka-sensei's bedtime stories," Naruto had lost count to how many times he and a few others fell asleep to the man's history lessons. Shikamaru himself fell immediately asleep then moment the lesson began, usually Iruka needed to go on for a few minutes before it happened.

"Thanks, kid," the man smirked. "Sorry we couldn't find ya a weapon that suited you. However," rummaging through some things out back the man returned with a sheet of paper, "Here, to make it up to you."

"Wow, paper! Thanks," what the hell was he supposed to do with paper.

"That's chakra paper, gaki. You flow your chakra into it to see what your elemental affinity is," Anko informed him. "This way when you start to learn jutsu you'll know what to focus on."

"Can't I just learn as many elemental ninjutsu as I want?"

"First off, lose that mindset. Secondly, no can do. It takes years for people to learn and master a single element. Even for prodigies it usually takes one to two years. Thirdly, people are usually born with a primary affinity, and sometimes a secondary one. Those primary and secondary affinities allow them to learn ninjutsu for those elements easier. In other words if you have an affinity for Fire learning Suiton Ninjutsu will be difficult, not impossible just very difficult, and so on and so forth. By the way you do know what the elemental affinities are right?"

"Duh, Fire, Water, uh… Earth, Wind, and … and… oh! Lighting!" Naruto recalled the lesson. It was one of the few boring ones he actually paid attention to.

 **For -**

"Good. When you push chakra into it the following will potentially happen. Fire will ignite it, Wind will split it in two, Lightning will crinkle it, Earth will turn it to dust, and Water will make it wet. Give it a shot," Anko said.

Focusing as well as he could Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated on flowing his chakra into the paper. It wasn't a second later when the boy heard the paper ripping in two before the two halves ignited.

 **You have discovered your elemental affinities!**

 **Wind Affinity (Primary)** Lv. 1 Next Lv. 0/75. A rarity among the other affinities techniques with this element are performed by making chakra as sharp and thin as possible. Wind Release is mainly short to mid-ranged offensive techniques that combine brute force and keen precision to deal cutting, concussive, and slashing damage. True masters of Futon are capable of performing feats that leave many in fear such as creating hurricane force winds to tear apart the opposition.

Increases the power, speed and range of wind based techniques by 20%

Decrease chakra used for Futon techniques by 20%

Increases cutting, concussive, and severing power by 20%

Increases experience gain when learning and using Futon techniques by 20%

 **Fire Affinity (Secondary)** Lv. 1 Next Lv. affiliated with the Tiger hand seal, Fire Release consists of mid to long-ranged offensive techniques that cause combustive and explosive damage. The art of having the flames obey the user's will is considered outrageously difficult but very well worth it. Though weak against Suiton masters of Katon ninjutsu are capable of evaporating water and melt rock, armor, and enhanced metal with little effort and leaving only ash behind.

Increases the power, range and speed of fire based techniques by 10%

Decrease chakra used for Katon techniques by 10%

Increases burning and explosive power by 10%

Increases experience gain when learning and using Katon techniques by 10%

"Woah! Don't see that every day," Tetsu remarked.

"So a primary wind affinity and a secondary fire one," Anko explained and had to admit this was a pretty rare phenomenon.

"Sweet! I have wind and fire!"

"Well it's good and bad," Anko burst his bubble, "Good because you have two affinities that compliment and make each other stronger and both are very offensive oriented. Fire for mid and long range and wind for short and mid range."

"But that's good right?" Naruto had no idea what the problem was.

"Yes, however unlike fire which is common in Hi no Kuni, Wind is considered rare unless you're from Kaze no Kuni and there aren't that many masters, practitioners, or techniques in Konoha that I know of," Anko explained to a downtrodden Naruto before Tetsu cut in.

"The only person I can think of would be the Sandaime's son, Sarutobi Asuma. Asked me to make him a pair of Chakra Blade Trench Knives to compliment his Futon techniques. Problem is-"

"Yeah," Anko nodded and knew where he was going.

"Uh, hello? I don't know what the problem is!" Nauto shouted to their embarrassment.

"Oh, right. Asuma's kinda laidback and doesn't do anything unless he really needs to. So unless he's your teacher or unless you hire him to teach you you're SOL, gaki. There are only two other qualified Futon teachers; Shimura Danzo, trust me you don't want him as a teacher," Anko's face turned into a snarl.

"And the other?" Naruto asked, slightly frightened by her expression and made a note not the meet the man.

"Mugurama Kensei," Tetsu cut in, "Asuma's Futon instructor and the Yondaime Hokage's former teammate. He and Danzo are easily the best Futon users in Konoha and our only Futon masters."

"Cool! Can I meet him?"

"Unfortunately, there in lays the problem. He's dead. I heard he passed away sometime after the Kyubi Incident, crippling injury he got from the Kyubi that only got worse. So like Anko said you're SOL, kid," Tetsu apologized.

"You guys really love getting my hopes up don't you?" Naruto deadpanned.

"Sorry," the two apologized.

Thanking him once more after paying him Naruto left the store with Anko as Tetsu went back to finish his project.

"Alright, gaki, so what's your plan now?" Anko asked.

"Well I was originally thinking of doing normal dungeons… but I have no idea where to find them," in all honesty Naruto had no idea what to do now. "Plus without any ninjutsu to fall back on what's the point?"

"Good point," Naruto's reasons were quite valid in Anko's mind. Sure he had better equipment in terms of defence but his repertoire and chances of success were still pretty low.

"Unfortunately, gaki, I got stuff to do. Gotta do something real quick before I head back to the office. Got a last minute call about us getting some new guests to break in," she cackled and frightened the boy. "Well, see ya."

" _Saying she's all kinds of crazy would be like saying I'm a ramen lover,_ " Naruto shuddered as Anko got out of sight before he too left to do his own devices.

* * *

Sitting on his favorite spot on top of the Hokage Mountain for the last twenty minutes, Naruto began thinking and reviewing on what to do now, and what to do in the future, "Ok, my chakra control sucks, need to bring that up, and because of that and my chakra amount the **Guide Book** says that learning and using Genjutsu will be too difficult for me."

The fact that Genjutsu more or less required him to be stationary while he used it merely added fuel to the fire. Sure masters and gifted illusionists could cast them while they were mobile but it was very difficult and required an enormous amount of concentration and control that Naruto just didn't have. Taijutsu he still needed to work on as he didn't know many techniques besides the basics, which would be useless in the future seeing as how they could be easily countered.

As it currently was Naruto realized that his strength lied in his STR, VIT, and DEX, unorthodox tactics, his ninjutsu, as sad as it currently was, and his bukijutsu. It made Naruto realize one thing, " _I need to grind some skills and make some money._ "

His clothes, good as they were at the moment, would only take him so far. He needed a weapon and some decent ninjutsu if he was going to get stronger. Unfortunately, Naruto had seen the cost for ninjutsu scrolls with the Auction House, most of the D-Rank ones were almost useless in combat or had been sold or had a time limit that ended days later, he needed them now, and the C-Rank ones were currently out of his price range.

"Ryo for your thoughts, Naruto-kun?" a familiar voice rang.

"Hey, Jiji," Naruto greeted the Hokage, "I thought you said we'd meet tomorrow?"

"I did, however; some important information has been brought to my attention," he spoke.

"Anko told you about the academy didn't she?" the spiky haired blond said all-knowingly.

"Yes," he nodded, " _If by tell you mean look like she wanted to tear me a new one then yes,_ " he mentally cringed as he remembered the recent and tongue lashing he got from the tenacious woman. Anko had always been loyal to those who earned her trust, him especially, but the woman wasn't afraid to voice her opinion, even to a superior.

It was true that the academy training had been reduced, as Hiruzen had thought the old curriculum was more fitting for wartime purposes and cut backs had in deed been made due to the Kyubi Incident and later the Uchiha Incident but the fact that the students weren't learning certain critical lessons left him shocked.

Due to his many duties as Hokage and busy schedule Hiruzen had assigned several other tasks to his advisors, Koharu, Homura and Danzo, and other Konoha council members. But the man knew that due to the Elders' militant views, especially Danzo, none would agree with the current standards of the academy or allow it if they knew what was currently going on. Which meant one thing.

" _Someone is sabotaging the academy,_ "the academy had a rat in it and was purposely hampering the growth of the students. He had to admit it was clever as not only would one not suspect a spy within the academy but it brought down the quality of ninja that Konoha was producing. Essentially Konoha's future generation was ill-prepared.

Unfortunately, ninja affairs such as this were far from simple. Hiruzen couldn't just make such a hasty move. For one the academy had several instructors, both part-time and fulltime, the spy could be anyone. Two, for the spy to have hidden themselves, and who knows how long, meant he or she was strong and potentially had inside help. Which meant Hiruzen would need to approach this carefully. Catching the spy would mean nothing if the process started all over again in the future. It also meant he needed to leave things as they were till he could figure out who it was.

"For now Naruto-kun let's leave that between us three till I figure something out," Hiruzen gave the boy a look that Naruto knew he was being serious and could only nod.

"Good, lad," the man smiled before giving him a look over, "I must say, Naruto-kun, you clean up very well. That look suits you," it wasn't hard to see that the man approved. "Anko stated you two were looking at weapons?"

"Yeah, too expensive though," it sucked in his mind. Sure he could wait and grind some more in that zombie world but he'd still have to save up quite a bit for a decent weapon. "Oh, yeah! Guess what, Jijij! I have an affinity for wind and fire!"

"Yes, I heard that too," in truth part of him wasn't all that surprised as jinchuriki were usually born with more than one affinity, or had a unique control over that affinity, not all of them but most, "Which is why I brought you this," he held out a couple of scrolls for the boy.

"This scroll has one Katon ninjutsu called **Katon: Hidama** a D-Rank technique and one Fūton ninjutsu called **Fūton: Reppūshō** a C-Rank one. The other scroll has a Sarutobi training staff that beginners use. I'm trusting you, Naruto, to use them wisely, and to continue training hard."

" _Kami-sama knows the boy will need all the help he can get,_ " the man thought.

"Yatta! Thanks, Jiji! You won't regret this, Dattebayo!" Naruto whopped as he took both scrolls and began heading out.

"Woah, slow down, Naruto!" the Sandaime stopped him, "First of all I need to instruct you on a few things. First of all, here it's a permission slip that will allow you to buy weapons from Tetsu. However, I'd like to see your level of competence first before you buy certain weapons. Secondly, the weapon I gave you is merely for practice and for you to defend yourself, and unfortunately you'll most likely need a new one in the future to better compliment your two elements. Had you an earth affinity it would be different. Thirdly, don't go telling anyone about your you-know-what, understand? The populace can often react badly to new things they don't understand."

"Ok, Jiji," Naruto nodded.

"Good, and lastly Naruto I want you to do better in the academy. As your grades are now, regrettable as it is, you're a shoe in for the title of Dead Last."

Naruto merely scowled at that.

"Did I also mention that the Dead Last is usually paired off with the Rookie of the Year? In other words," the man left it hanging and by Naruto's pale expression the boy understood.

"What! I'm gonna be paired with Sasuke-teme!? Hell no!" he shouted but was bonked on the head by Hiruzen.

"Language, Naruto-kun," he scolded, "As it is now, yes, you and Sasuke will most likely get paired off with one another. You still have time however to improve your grades," Hiruzen knew the boy wouldn't have enough time to improve them so he was one of the top students, at best he'd be a high middle ranking one but the boy didn't need to know that. "Work and study hard and you'll succeed, Naruto."

"Thanks, Jiji," the boy hugged the man before he left for the woods.

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Academy Graduation**

 **Main Quest: Graduate from the Academy and don't become Dead Last.**

 **Side Quest: Graduate as Mid-Ranking Student.**

 **Side Quest 2: Master the Academy 3 Ninjutsu**

 **Main Quest Completion: +3500 EXP, Reputation Gain with Anko, Iruka, Hiruzen and Academy Students**

 **Side Quest 1 Completion: + 1450 EXP, +250 Reputation with Anko,Iruka, Hiruzen and Academy Students, "?"**

 **Side Quest 2 Completion: +350 EXP per Mastered Technique, +3 Attribute Points per Mastered Technique**

 **Failure: 400 EXP, Loss of Reputation with Anko, Iruka, Hiruzen, and Academy Students, Cannot become a ninja**

 **Accept (YES/NO)**

Clicking on the yes once he was a good distance away Naruto opened the scroll that held the two ninjutsu, clicked on the "YES" to learn both of them and watched as they disappeared into a shower of light.

 **You learned Katon: Hidama** (Fire Release: Fireball)!

 **Katon: Hidama** (Fire Release: Fireball) D-Rank. Lv. 1 Next Lv. 0/75. This technique creates a small fireball that can both burn flesh and conceal shuriken. Though basic and more or less used to make campfires this technique is a great stepping stone for learning more complicated Katon Ninjutsu.

Can create one fireball

Does 19-28 damage

Chances of burning is 15%

 **You learned Fūton: Reppūshō no Jutsu** (Wind Release: Gale Palm Technique)

 **Fūton: Reppūshō** (Wind Release: Gale Palm) C-Rank. Lv. 1 Next Lv. 0/75. A simple technique that when the user's hands are clapped together, wind is compressed and transformed into a powerful gale that can easily knock over a human. The true value comes from using it together with projectile weapons like shuriken, increasing their speed, power, and ability to wound or even kill are all increased several times.

Shuriken speed and damage increased by 20%

Chances of knocking others down is 40%

Does 35 damage to opponent

Naruto was giddy at the moment and could hardly hold in his excitement at the prospect of using his new ninjutsu. However, as he was in a forest at the moment it and not a training field it wouldn't do him any good if he accidentally started a forest fire.

"Ok, lets see this weapon Jiji gave me," Naruto unsealed the scroll and saw a very nice Bō come out. " **Observe."**

 **Sarutobi Clan Training Bō – Uncommon Quality**

 **Blunt Weapon**

 **Durability 60/60**

 **A training staff from the Sarutobi Clan, a clan well known for their use and mastery of Bōjutsu (Staff Techniques), made from a very sturdy, unknown but incredibly flexible wood. This staff is nothing to laugh at despite its unassuming appearance. The metal guards on it are not only meant to deflect metal objects and increase striking force but to discipline students as well according to rumors. Has some minor weight seals on the metal guards that are used to not only increase muscle strength but also striking power, a downside to this is the increase in weight.**

 **Attack Power: 32-37**

 **Requirements: +20 STR, +30 DEX**

 **Bonus Stats: Minor Weight Seals (-20% Movement & Attack Speed, +10 Attack Power to Weapon)**

" _Jiji, I freakin love you,_ " Naruto couldn't express the words on how grateful he was at the moment. As he equipped the weapon realization suddenly dawned on Naruto as he surveyed the area he was currently in, "The training grounds are near here," he smirked as he went to test out his new arsenal.

As he arrived at his destination however Naruto was greeted with a peculiar sight, "What the?"

 **You've discovered your village's natural dungeons!**

 **Konoha Dungeons "Beginners" (Training Area 1-10)**

 **Area 1: Level 5-6 Required**

 **Area 2: Level 6-7 Required**

 **Area 3: Level 7-8 Required**

 **Area 4-5: Level 8-11 Required**

 **Area 6: Level 11-12 Required**

 **Area 7: Level 12-13 Required, Genin Rank**

 **Area 8-10: Level 13-16 Required, Genin Rank**

"This wasn't here when was I training last week?" Naruto wondered if this had something to do with his Gamer ability and him reaching level 5. "Well, I could do some grinding on my skills and level up while I'm at it. Hmm, lets go with Area 1 to start," Naruto had learned his lesson from the zombie world, which he'd go back to later to kick some ass thanks to his new jutsu and equipment.

Looking around and making sure no one was near him this time, Naruto shouted, " **Training Area 1: Enter!** " just as a he was enveloped by a bright light and found himself in a lightly wooded area with a small clearing.

 **You've entered a dungeon with Abnormal Wildlife!**

"What the heck is Abnormal Wildlife?" Naruto muttered but didn't have to wait long as a window appeared in front of him.

 **Abnormal Wildlife**

 **Abnormal Wildlife, also known as Chakra Mutation Creatures, are creatures whose physiology has been changed and are more powerful that their regular counterparts. The cause of this phenomenon is unknown but some speculate that it is caused by being born and raised in an area saturated with powerful chakra, has been victim to constant chakra elements, the chakra of a Biju, scientific experimentation, or rapid evolution due to being in a dangerous ecosystem.**

"Huh, simple enough. Ok, so what kind of enemies do we have here?" Naruto wondered as he began making his way through the forest.

As if on cue Naruto found himself face to face with a wild boar, "… You gotta be kidding me, a boar? What the hell kinda enemy is this?" his use of **Observe** on the animal changed his tune quite quickly.

 **Wild Boar Lv 5**

 **HP: 200**

 **CP: 0**

 **STR: 20**

 **VIT: 8**

 **DEX: 15**

 **INT: 2**

 **WIS: 0**

 **LUK: 6**

 **Defense: 15**

 **Perks:**

 **Hard-Headed** : +30% concussive resistance, +30% head-shot resistance, +30% head damage techniques.

 **Tenacious:** Ignores negative status effects such as Burning, or Bleeding when health drops below 30%, Movement Speed increases by 50% when below 30% health

 **Keen-Senses:** +60% effectiveness to Detection Skill, Ignores Henge Skill, very sensitive to powerful and pungent odors

 **Description:** Just an ordinary boar is what many think before they find themselves gore or trampled by this species. These boars will charge at anything except its own kind and are tenacious combatants that it will continue to fight even on the brink of death, and will even ignore serious wounds. Despite its size and build they are capable of closing in on ill prepare prey with a remarkable burst of speed.

 **EXP Earned: 85**

 **Drops: ?, ?**

Dodging to the left and whipping his weapon at the torso as the boar was but a few feet in front of him Naruto would freely admit he was impressed with the creature now. Had he come here before with his other equipment, which was none, Naruto had no doubt he'd be in a lot of trouble.

"Too bad for you I got a few new moves, time to burn, piggy. **Katon: Hidama no Jutsu!"**

A small fireball escaped from Naruto's mouth and was on a crash course with the boar. It missed and forced the boar to the left but the action had left it open for Naruto to spit out another fireball to damage the creature. Rushing in Naruto began whacking the boar in a few spots before it finally succumbed to its wounds and disappeared.

"Hmm, **Boar Hide** and **Boar Meat,"** Naruto inspected the dropped loot, "No ryo this time though."

Naruto wasn't all that surprised as while monsters in games were sometimes known to drop money when they were defeated, humanoid enemies such as Zombies and Bandits had greater money drops than that of wild beasts.

Making his way further into the woods Naruto decided to keep himself hidden as best he could similarly to what he did with the zombies. This was easier said than done however due to their **Keen Senses** perk as some of the next seven boars he killed had unfortunately caught whiff of him.

" **Ryoku Boku** (Power Strike)!" Naruto shouted as he struck the last charging boar with an overhead swing. Killing it in the process as the last of its HP disappeared.

 **Ryoku Boku Skill has increased to level 4!**

Naruto had learned that he would have no choice but to face them at a distance or head to head instead of in the shadows. Such tactics didn't work against creatures with a powerful sense of smell. Which had allowed some of the boars to sneak and gang up on him and get in quite a few good blows in the process, even forcing Naruto to use one of his **First Aids** to not only restore health but also cure the **Bleeding** status effect he had gained.

"Oh, well. I got 680 EXP so far," as well as quite a bit of loot that Naruto knew some would pay for and could be used to improve his cooking skills. Suddenly Naruto heard a rustle in the bushes and spotted a small boar with the description **Baby Boar Lv 2** coming out and looked ready to charge at him, "…Really?"

As the little creature charged at him, Naruto merely gave it a good smack on the head and it was down, not dead but it had only dozen HP left, "Wow, that was pathetic."

"BUUUUUU BUUUUU!" the little creature suddenly cried at the top of its little lungs in an oh so very familiar manner.

"Oh, please no," Naruto had an inkling where this was going and hoped he was wrong. Smacking it once more Naruto was happy to see the lights of defeat but it was short lived.

 **The Baby Boar's cries have summoned Mama Boar!**

"Oh, shit," Naruto hated when he was right.

"BUUUAAAA BUUUAAAA!" was the loud snorting sound Naruto heard as the **Mama Boar** came into view. "Uh-oh," Naruto knew he was in trouble.

* * *

 **Mama Boar Lv 7**

 **HP: 450**

 **CP: 0**

 **STR: 30**

 **VIT: 18**

 **DEX: 20**

 **INT: 4**

 **WIS: 0**

 **LUK: 12**

 **Defense: 20**

 **Perks:**

 **Hard-Headed** : +40% concussive resistance, +40% head-shot resistance, +40% head damage techniques.

 **Tenacious:** Ignores negative status effects such as Burning, or Bleeding when health drops below 30%, Movement Speed increases by 70% when below 30% health

 **Keen-Senses:** +70% effectiveness to Detection Skill, Ignores Henge Skill, very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Description:** Never come between a mother and her child, especially when this one has tusks that will rip your insides out if you do. At 6 feet long and 4.5 feet high this bigger than average boar is enough to make even predators hesitate attacking it.

 **EXP Earned: 145**

 **Drops: ?, ?**

* * *

As the boar spotted him, Naruto gulped slightly, "Nice, piggy?" was all he said before the beast charged at him at speeds he had no idea an animal its size could. " **Futon: Reppusho no Jutsu!"** Naruto thrust his clapped hands at the boar's side but only managed to annoy the beast.

"Ok, that didn't work," trying a different tactic Naruto allowed the boar to get in as close as possible before jumping over it and performing an overhead swing with his staff. Only for the boar to meet the attack head on and overpower it, throwing Naruto off balance and allowing the creature to deliver a strong head-butt that sent him into a tree.

"Damn," Naruto cursed and saw he had lost a good 115 HP in the process, "I lost all that from a freakin head-butt!?"

A loud snort from the boar got his attention and Naruto saw that the beast was going to charge again, only this time he saw a bluish tinge around it.

 **Charge Skill**

 **What this skill lacks in attack power it makes up for in speed as being hit by this technique has a very high chance of stunning the opponent, rendering them at the mercy of their opponent for additional hits.**

"Ok, can't let that hit me," taking out a couple of shuriken took careful aim just as the boar began to charge at him with frightening speed and let them fly, " **Futon: Reppusho no Jutsu!"**

Due to the speed of the charge, the thrown shuriken and the boost from the gale the boar had no chance of avoiding the metal stars as they both plunged into its eyes. The pain made the now blind animal veer off its mark and caused it to crash into a solid tree trunk that while shuddering the tree only served to harm it even more and plunged the metal stars further into its eyes.

Taking advantage Naruto began pummelling the **Mama Boar** with a flurry of blows to the leg and back, activating the **Minor Weight Seals** and making the strikes more harmful and powerful till it finally went down.

"Phew," Naruto wiped the sweat from his face.

 **Basic Blunt Weapon Mastery Skill has increased to level 6!**

 **Congratulation! You learned the technique Saigeki (Crushing Strike).**

 **Saigeki (Crushing Strike).** Lv 1 Next Lv 0/75. A skill that allows the user to land a crippling blow on the target's limbs that will not only harm but can momentary impair the limb's movement. **CP Usage: 30**

Increases blunt weapon damage by 30%

Impairs movement for 2.5 seconds

Naruto merely grinned as he saw the technique and decided he'd put it to good use. For the next little while Naruto would practice his new skills on regular boars, letting them charge in and then using the **Saigeki** on their legs, making them stumble and allowing him to use his staff or **Katon:** **Hidama.**

Then he would go off and find some **Baby Boar** , as cruel as it sounded and make them summon a **Mama Boar** so he could practice his **Reppusho** and see the effectiveness his **Crushing Strike** would have one them. Though the first two got a few good blows, forcing him to consume some food to recover his lost HP and CP, his leveling up made it so he wouldn't need to stay put for long and had an easier time against the fourth one. As it was this methods had allowed him to increase both elemental techniques by two levels already, coming close to three.

Walking into a clearing Naruto saw several **Wild Boars** and was ready to pick them off one by one till he felt vibrations on the ground. Fortunately it wasn't too bad that it would knock him over or lose footing but seeing the other boars flee and the fact the vibrations were noticeable enough that it made him remember an important detail.

"This place has a boss," Naruto recalled and then suddenly heard the loud bellow of a fierce and undoubtedly powerful animal. "...Bring it," he grinned and welcomed the challenge.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Level: 7 Next Level: 120/4500**

 **Title: Academy Student**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 1400**

 **CP: 2300**

 **STR: 17 (11) = 28**

 **VIT: 37**

 **DEX: 23 (11+4) = 38**

 **INT: 71**

 **WIS: 15 +(%5) =15.75**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 30**

 **Perks:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards reputation gain

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP towards Chakra Control

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards reputation gain, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Beginner Zombie Slayer:** 30% increase attack and defense against Undead, +5 stats when facing Undead, +10% additional drops and Exp from Undead

 **Status Effects:**

 **Malnourished:** Hampered physical growth rate, -25% to VIT, DEX, and STR stat base, +20% vulnerability to poisons

 **Description:** Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently an academy student with inspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. At the moment, Naruto is considered by many as a shoe in for the title of **Dead Last.**

 **Money** : 5940 Ryo ~ (594$)

 **Attribute Points: 16**

* * *

 **Io is an eccentric weapon making from the anime adaption of Naruto where his weapons arent really suited for combat due to being too cumbersome and complicated to use, Tenten usually tested them out.**

 **Kept my word and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **To start O.N. is an acronym or play on words, that can stand for multiple things such as Game On. Orange Ninja, Orange Naruto, Outstanding Ninja, and if your reverse it, N.O Number One! If anyone else can think of a good username for Naruto I'm all ears.**

 **Sorry I didn;t update earlier was busy and had to restart it. Damn thing didn;t save properly last time so I had to start over. If some of this feels like filler believe me everything in here will play a vital role and ties in with the story later on.**

 **Yes, the Kensei mentioned is from Bleach, and no zanpakuto's powers or bleach powers will be used in this fic, not turning this into a massive crossover. Maybe some techniques that are turned into ninjutsu but no hollows or shunpo, that gets old. The swords and characters will be mentioned or alluded to but will not have superpowers, they will be ninjutsu based instead.**

 **To finish off the armour is similar to Vegito's from Dragon Ball Z, I'd post links but none of them work for any of the authors' profiles for some reason, pisses me off too and I'll try to find a way to show you what some of the items, creatures and people look like.**

 **Any ways give me tons of reviews please, (50-60) or so like last time, was a great motivator, and thank you and the next one, including the epic boss battle it will be out soon. Just letting you all know I also updated my story Scion of the Nidaime please check it out too and give it tons of reviews as well please.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: No Pain no Gain**

Naruto grinned like mad as he heard the boss of the dungeon bellow out loud. Part of him was slightly frightened but the prospect of facing such an opponent and the rewards he'd get out of it made him grin with excitement. Preparing as much as he could Naruto waited for the arrival of the boss. When several moments passed Naruto, still keeping his guard up, moved in closer and spotted a very large and muddy den on a hill.

Deciding to take the initiative Naruto used a **Katon: Hidama** to entice the boss out only for a barrier to appear in front of the ball of flames and evaporate it. "What the… are you fucking kidding me!?" he yelled as he saw a window pop up.

 **Boss Battle Requirements Not Complete**

 **Wild Boars Slain (15/12)**

 **Baby Boar (4/6)**

 **Mama Boar (4/8)**

 **Mature Boar (0/3)**

 **Dungeon Boss**

Dungeon bosses are the strongest creatures in a dungeon, with powers that greatly vary such as immense speed, strength or other unique abilities. For beginners bosses are a good way to get stronger but as you enter stronger dungeons it is best to confront them in groups. Bosses are also known to drop unique one of a kind items that will greatly help you or can be sold for a very good price.

 **Note:** Before you can face the boss of certain dungeons you will be required to accomplish a set of tasks such as killing a certain amount of enemies to draw out the boss or acquire specific items. This is not the case for all bosses however.

 **Note:** Quest event starting items dropped by bosses only occur once.

Naruto scowled at that, "Why didn't I see this coming? I should have seen this coming!" part of him thought things were going to be easy, relatively speaking that is. Looking over the list once more Naruto made a check of things, "Ok, I just need to kill these last few boars and the I can go and kill this thing.

" **BUUUUUAAAAAOOOO!"**

The sudden roar had Naruto jumping into the air a good distance away from the den, the earth vibrating every so often, but nothing happening. No boss appearing or anything.

" _That's almost as bad as Anko's sudden appearances,_ " Naruto thought it to be maybe even worse.

Moving out of the clearing and back into the woods on the opposite side, Naruto spotted a couple of **Baby Boars** and one **Mama Boar** , "Ok, best take care of the **Mama Boar** first."

Taking a kunai from his pouch, Naruto took aim and threw it at the **Mama Boar's** backside, as the beast prepared to attack him another much bigger creature joined it.

* * *

 **Mature Boar** **Lv 8**

 **HP: 500**

 **CP: 50**

 **STR: 35**

 **VIT: 20**

 **DEX: 25**

 **INT: 2**

 **WIS: 0**

 **LUK: 15**

 **Defense: 26**

 **Perks:**

 **Hard-Headed** : +45% concussive resistance, +45% head-shot resistance, +45% head damage techniques.

 **Tenacious:** Ignores negative status effects such as Burning, or Bleeding when health drops below 30%, Movement Speed increases by 70% when below 30% health

 **Keen-Senses:** +70% effectiveness to Detection Skill, Ignores Henge Skill, very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Description:** Mature male boars have strong family ties to their mates and offspring and won't hesitate to fly into battle should one of them feel threatened. Like their female counterparts **Mature Boars** can sometimes be summoned by **Baby Boars** though the chances of them being summoned are much lower.

 **EXP Earned: 165**

 **Drops: ?, ?**

" _Huh, lets get to it,"_ he thought before going into the fray.

* * *

 **(T &I Room)**

Walking out of the cell that she had been in Anko closed the door behind her and left the quivering mess that was the newcomer alone, "Well that was boring," Anko muttered as she headed to Ibiki's office to report what she found out.

When Anko had been called in from work to break in a newcomer the woman had thought it to be because only she could do it. She was giddy at the prospect as Anko loved breaking in the new tenants, especially the tough ones. It made her happy then to meet someone like this and then turn them into sobbing cry babies who wanted to see their mommies.

This wasn't the case however. Turns out the man had been really forth coming with the intel he possessed and didn't even put up a challenge. Oh sure the man had looked impassive at first but Anko knew he was merely putting up a brave mask. Originally she had come here thinking the man was all tough and she was in for a long days work. The man barely lasted five minutes by the time she was done with him.

Entering Ibiki's office the woman slammed her hand down on his desk to get his attention, "Anko," the man greeted without looking up from his paperwork, he was used it by now.

"What the hell was that?" she growled.

"What was what?"

"You damn well know what, Ibiki!" Anko nearly shouted, "I'm on my day off and you call me in for this? You and I both know I don't do weak ass pansies. Leave it for the new recruits. Kami-sama knows they need the experience."

"I would have if we weren't short handed at the moment, Anko," her he gave her a look. "As for the trainees doing this sort of thing you're partially to blame for that. A lot of them decided to quit when I asked you to show them the ropes and gave them a hands on view on what you do. Long story short, over seventy percent of the new recruits switched to a different division."

In hindsight it wasn't one of his smartest moves, when it came to teaching Anko's methods were unique but effective to say the least, and not everyone had the stomach or the guts to survive it. However, with so few qualified to teach and many being busy with other important duties such as in field interrogation in enemy territory Ibiki had no choice but to assign Anko. Adding to the fact that the woman was his most skilled interrogator, outdone only by himself and Yamanaka Inoichi, while not the most suited to teach she had a lot of experience and knowledge.

" _Won't make that mistake twice,_ " the master of torture and psychological warfare thought. Anko was his friend, one of the rare few she had, but even she was a bit much for him at times.

"Hey, if they can't handle or stomach the shit we do here then they got no right to be here in the first place. Take your bitching and moaning somewhere else is my motto," Anko retorted.

"I thought you motto was: Dango is heaven's gift upon mankind?"

"I can have more than one motto!" there was no law against.

"Ok," Ibiki decided not to pry even wish to know really and returned to the topic at hand, "There is also a little thing called easing them into it you know?"

"Whatever," she muttered, "Why didn't you have that asshole who messed up my interrogation process do it?"

"Fired him, and from what I heard he got himself into one of the field position forces, though he's gotta do demeaning tasks such as cleaning the Inuzuka kennels for a whole month as punishment. As much as I don't care for your methods at times I tolerate insubordination even less. Especially from some hotshot who just got here and thinks he knows more about interrogation than all our veterans combined. He fucked up and now we have to start from scratch all over again," Ibiki thought the man was lucky he was only demoted to Chunin considering he cost them very important intel, at the moment he knew he was on thin ice. Back in Senju Tobirama's day as Hokage the man would have either been stripped of his rank as a ninja or potentially executed.

"Explains why I didn't see him this morning. Lucky him," Anko swore she'd give the man a piece of her mind when she saw him again and it looks like she'd have to wait a while. She didn't envy him either as cleaning the Inuzuka kennels was not only Genin fodder missions but also one of the worst ones too. She only ever did it once as a Genin because she did something stupid and her former teacher saw fit to punish her. Even back then the man was sadistic bastard.

"Anyway, what did you find out?"

"Nothing all that important. The guy's nothing more than a bandit from a small gang. Robbed and killed a few people here, terrorized a village or two, no one important though, just some unnoteworthy pricks terrorizing merchants and whatnot. You know the usual stuff," a bored Anko explained. "Oh, and something about when their next move was gonna be."

"You could have just said that part you know," Ibiki deadpanned.

"Still pissed, Ibiki," Anko dismissed it and then told him where the gang was going to attack next. "If you need me I'll be getting some R&R, and by need me I mean it better be worth my fucking time."

"Yeah, yeah," Ibiki got the idea and waved her off, "Before you do Hokage-sama said he wanted me to remind you that you're to meet him tomorrow morning at nine."

"Great," Anko drawled. As much as she respected and admired the Sandaime she was still pissed at what the academy was currently turned into. Sure the man told her about his theory but he could have caught on much earlier in her mind. "Might as well go see what the gaki's up to."

* * *

( **With Naruto)**

As Naruto finally finished off the last of the boars needed to face the boss of this dungeon the academy student took this time to recover his HP and CP as best he could with the remaining food he had.

As he ate, the young shinobi in training tried to come up with a strategy that he could possibly use against the boss. Naruto knew from experience that bosses were very much stronger than regular enemies, even the low level ones proved fatal for newbie and inexperienced adventurers and those who were ill equipped to face them.

"Ok, these things are sensitive to smell," looking in his inventory Naruto cursed that he only had one **Chilly Pepper Bomb** left on him, the other two had been used against Midori. "Gotta make it count," he knew he couldn't afford to waste it as he moved on and looked at his ninjutsu list.

" **Hidama** can now cast two fireballs at a time and my **Reppusho** lets my shuriken and kunai fly even faster," as he formulated his plan Naruto remembered what Anko had told at Tetsu's place, "wind makes fire stronger she said."

A dozen minutes later when he recovered a good amount of CP and HP, Naruto made his way towards the clearing that had the boss, having to kill a few **Wild Boars** along the way when they charged at him. As he finally arrived Naruto felt the earth shake a bit but managed to keep his balance all the same. Glancing at the burrow from before the boy's eyes widened considerably as the largest and by far the ugliest boar he had ever seen come running out and release a huge bellowing cry.

" _Holy shit that bitch is big! This thing's almost as tall as a small house,_ " he mentally called out **Observe** on the boss.

 **Boss: Dire Boar "Onibuta" Lv 10**

 **HP: 1250**

 **CP: 200**

 **STR: 65**

 **VIT: 30**

 **DEX: 55**

 **INT: 8**

 **WIS: 0**

 **LUK: 20**

 **Defense: 45**

 **Perks:**

 **Hard-Headed** : +65% concussive resistance, +65% head-shot resistance, +65% head damage techniques.

 **Tenacious:** Ignores negative status effects such as Burning, or Bleeding when health drops below 40%, Movement Speed increases by 85% when below 40% health

 **Keen-Senses:** +100% effectiveness to Detection Skill, Ignores Henge Skill, very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Tough-Hide:** +35% weapon, taijutsu resistance, +35% abnormal status effects resistance, +30 Defense, +500 HP

 **?:**

 **Status Effect:**

 **Impaired Visual Acuity** :Cannot see properly, -50% Accuracy

 **Description:** The saying, "The Hunted has become the Hunter," greatly applies to this scarred gigantic boar with a thick hide covered with various arrows and stuck weapons. At 10 feet tall, strong muscles, and jagged tusks that are capable of skewering even great oaks this boar will make even the most experienced hunters cower in fear. Many new and would be hunters have challenged this boar both as a rite of passage and to gain recognition only to meet their end at the hands of this magnificently large beast.

 **EXP Earned: 1400**

 **Drops: ?, ?, ?**

* * *

"Uh-oh," Naruto didn't like what he was seeing at the moment. Sure Naruto was excited at the prospect of facing the boss because it was good experience along with getting good loot but even then he still didn't expect a low level boss to be like this.

"Look at that STR and DEX,"while most creature's this size would normally have high STR and VIT and be relatively slow, in this however, despite its enormous size, Naruto realized that the creature wasn't going to be sluggish. Luckily his **Gamers Mind** kicked in and Naruto began to think clearly. Looking at the boss Naruto noted the saving grace in all this was the boss's poor eyesight. One eye was closed shut, a wicked scar jutting down from its forehead to its right eye and snout and had puss surrounding it. Its other eye while open Naruto noticed was a milky white color.

Seeing it sniff the air Naruto knew the beast was looking for him and rather than wait for it to charge at him the boy decided to take the initiative. Launching two shuriken in the air Naruto followed up with a **Reppusho** to distract it. While one of the shuriken struck home on the snout, resulting in a critical hit, the other shuriken merely bounced off one of the boss's tusks.

" _Well that worked well,"_ the boy commented dryly. Jumping into the air before it spotted him, Naruto used **Hidama** , sending two fireballs flying towards its back and followed up with another **Reppusho**. Naruto saw that the action had caused both fireballs to increase in size, power, and speed as both struck home on the beast's weapon embedded hide. To his surprise however the creature, while taking a good deal of damage didn't seem bothered by it at all, or the fact that it was suffering from the **Burning** ailment.

"Damn, must be that **Tough-Hide** perk it has," Naruto muttered before he was forced to block the charging and alight creature. The speed coupled with its size and strength sent Naruto flying into the trees behind it, make the boy crash through branches before striking the trunk of a particularly large tree.

"Owww," the boy moaned, "That hurt like hell," his loss of a 85 HP didn't help either, and that was with him blocking the strike. " _Note to self: Learn some defensive techniques after this._ "

The boy's thoughts were cut short as the tree began to shudder violently. Looking down Naruto spotted the boss ramming its head against the tree and judging by the fact that the roots were being uprooted it didn't take a genius to know that no longer safe up here.

"See ya," Naruto jumped from his platform and unto another nearby tree just in time to see the other one fall to the ground, " **Hidama!"**

Unlike before where the balls of fire struck its weapon littered hide this time they struck the side of its face and snout, with the later one doing more damage and making the boar squeal and panic as it was light.

" **Ryoku Boku!** " Naruto struck the snout with all his might and began striking at the sensitive nose as many times as he could. Over and under, side to side. The boy struck out as hard as he could with his staff. While using his ninjutsu would be preferable his consecutive use of them was draining what little CP he had left and Naruto was saving what little remained in case of an emergency.

As he struck once more, Naruto suddenly felt the air leaving his lungs as a strong force struck his stomach and sent him flying once again and smacking hard against a large boulder. The action left the boy momentarily dazed before he was struck a second time and sent skidding away into the forest, "Gahhh!"

Finally coming to a stop Naruto got up as quickly as he could and was forced to jump out if the way as the boss came in charging at him at full speed. Naruto was glad he did as he bore witness to the tree behind him being skewered and then ripped from the earth like a mere weed.

"What the hell is going on?" the boy wasn't this fast before that much he was certain. Using **Observe** he saw what the cause was.

 **Ill-Tempered:** +35% attack power and attack speed, +50% STR when below 50% HP

"Oh, come on!" Naruto now realized what the " **?"** stood for now. "This is bullshit!"

Seeing it readying to use **Charge** , Naruto readied himself as best he could. Attacking the beast head on was not a smart move at the moment. The boss was not only faster and could strike harder but Naruto had lost a little over 300 HP from those last two attacks. While it lacked in power its stunning ability was made up for it. He was gonna have to play it smart now.

Jumping to the side at last minute, and bringing up his staff to block in case it managed to swing its tusks at him, Naruto was basically playing chicken with it. Waiting for the boar to get in close, dodge at the last minute and every now and then using **Katon: Hidama** on it.

As he dodged once more Naruto was forced to dodge even further as flames spewed forth from the boar's nostrils and surrounded the creature in a ring of fire. "Aghh! Are you serious?!" It was bad enough that with the added STR and speed but for it to now have fire abilities was like pouring salt and iodine on a series of fresh wounds.

Being even more careful now that it revealed its fire snorting abilities Naruto felt himself backed up against a tree, one Naruto knew would be too big for **Onibuta** to lift. The other trees Naruto knew that because of how little they were, compared to some of Konoha's larger trees, the boar's STR coupled with its speed allowed it to bring them down with a good two or three hits. Because of its **Ill Tempered** perk it was made even easier for it to uproot trees now.

This tree was much, much larger than those ones he noted. Naruto knew **Onibuta** would need to land quite a few good solid blows before it could begin to uproot it. Deciding now was as good a time as any Naruto throw a kunai at the boss's snout to get a rise out of it. While the weapon was smacked away by one of its tusks the action had the effect he wanted nonetheless and the beast charged at him with frightening speed.

As the beast got closer Naruto took aim and threw another kunai that came out short and landed directly in front of the charging **Onibuta** instead of hitting home. As the boar came in front of it the wild pig failed to notice a small ball attached to the weapon's string before it exploding into a shower of red dust that covered its entire body.

As it plowed through the red cloud as though it was of little issue, **Onibuta's** senses were suddenly let aflame and pain began to rack through its body. Jumping and using the trunk of the tree as a springboard Naruto flew over the impaired boar watched as it crashed into the base of the tree with a crunch and saw it lose a good deal of its remaining health. Landing behind the heavily stunned creature Naruto struck at its legs with **Saigeki** effectively rendering it immobile and at his mercy.

Striking at its nose with several blows of his staff Naruto followed up by launching **Hidama** then used **Reppusho** to enhance the fire technique's power. Because of how close he was and the time it took to use the other technique only one of the two fireballs became more powerful as the first hit the boar's snout before his Reppusho could enhance it. Either way though the attack had sent the already damaged appendage into a greater state of painful hell, though Naruto got caught by the flames it snorted and took a good amount of his health in the process. Luckily for the boar its misery had finally come to an end as its remaining HP disappeared and it fell dead onto the dirt.

Huffing and trying to catch his breath Naruto slumped down against the tree as a grin began to appear on his sweat, singed, and dirt caked face. "That… was… awesome…" he grinned as the body of the boss began to disappear into a shower of light.

 **Your Katon: Hidama skill has leveled up by 2!**

 **Your Futon: Reppusho skill has leveled by 1!**

 **Your Basic Blunt Weapon skill has leveled up by 1!**

Smiling upon seeing that Naruto merely sat there for a good few minutes as he regained his second wind. When he felt ready the boy groaned as he got up and began collecting his loot, "Let's see what we got here."

 **Tusk Key**

 **Status Effect: Unlocks Area 1 Treasure Chest**

 **Description: A key that is shaped in the form of a boar tusk.**

As Naruto read the description and began to grin a textbox appeared before him.

 **Treasure Chests**

Treasure chests are boxes that hold items and useful goodies. What's inside them is unknown as the contents vary from chest to chest. Treasure chests can be located usually in dungeons or by raiding a fortress or stronghold, though on occasion they can be found in the wilderness under trees or rocks or via maps. Treasure chests aren't available in every dungeon and the few chests that are available can only be opened by getting the key or fulfilling a certain criteria. Getting a key also varies for each dungeon as while some require you to defeat the boss, other actions may be required instead.

 **Note:** A dungeon only ever has one treasure chest or key required to open it in its lifetime. Reentering the dungeon will not respawn the chest or its contents.

Though the part of it not coming back once opened was a bit of a bummer Naruto knew that it was how most games operated. Looking through the rest of the loot Naruto received five **Thick Boar Hides** , which while it was not bad wasn't all that great either, **Onibuta's Head** , and a wicked looking dagger.

"What the hell?" he muttered as he inspected them.

 **Onibuta's Head**

 **Status Effect: Quest Item**

 **Description: The head of the infamous boar Onibuta. The head of the strong and illusive boar that warranted the attention of Konoha and forced someone in the village to place a D-Rank bounty on the creature's head. Use this as proof of you putting an end to him.**

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Onibuta's Bounty**

 **Main Quest: Collect Onibuta's bounty from whoever placed the bounty.**

 **Main Quest Completion: 550 EXP, ? , 35,000 Ryo**

 **Accept? (Yes/No)**

* * *

" _Wait, what! This guy was only worth a low D-Rank bounty?"_ Naruto thought in disbelief. Either this meant that D-Rank bounties were stronger than he thought them to be, or Naruto was really lagging behind. It would make sense really as despite his initial use of **Observe** on the academy students the skill had still been at a low level and only showed part of their stats. Naruto realized that he was much weaker than the rest of them, "On one hand this sucks. On the other hand, I got an awesome ability that lets me level up more quickly then them so hah!"

Deciding to accept the quest as while the experience points were low every little bit helped and the cash bounty was a good welcome too. Unfortunatly, Naruto was interrupted by a buzzer sound when trying to accept the quest. "Oh, what now?"

 **Quest Requirements not met. Quest item missing.**

"Well there's a ball buster if I ever saw one," Naruto muttered and dismissed the textbox. At times some quests would require more than one item to be collected in order to accomplish them. Though Naruto seriously wished it had popped up when he had both items instead.

"Ok, what's this **Chichizouge** (Bloody Ivory) thing?"

 **Chichizouge (Bloody Ivory)** **Rare Quality**

 **Blade Weapon**

 **Durability 40/40**

 **A very sturdy dagger made from one of Onibuta's own tusk. As the years went by and Onibuta became strong so did the lethality of his tusks. Very lethal the true power of this weapon comes from its ability to pierce and stab instead of slashing its foes. The blade is red as the tusk became permanently stained with the blood of its victims.**

 **Attack Power: 26-34**

 **Requirements: Basic Bladed Weapon Mastery Skill**

 **Bonus Stats: + 5 DEX, Ignores 25 Defense, +30% Chances to cause Bleeding**

"Not that I'm complaining but how the hell… You know what I'm not gonna bother, nope, just go with it," Naruto told himself. How the heck was a weapon created from one of Onibuta's tusks when he not only just defeated the creature just baffled him really. " _This Gamer ability is as weird as it is awesome,_ " he thought.

Putting the items into his inventory box, Naruto left the forest and made his way towards the burrow. Based on experience the exit and treasure chest were usually located near the boss's origin point. It would only make sense that the burrow **Onibuta** came from was the prime location to find them.

Entering the muddy burrow soon came upon the entrance of a black tunnel that was mostly likely the exit. Beside it the spiky haired blond spotted a treasure chest, "Moment of truth."

Taking the **Tusk Key** out of his inventory Naruto inserted the item into the keyhole and turned. A wave of energy washed over the chest momentarily before a clicking sound was heard and the lid of the chest opened by a tiny crack. Grabbing it Naruto lifted the lid of the container wide open and nearly fainted upon seeing the contents, "Dear diary … no wait that sounds kinda lame for a guy to say that … Oh! Dear log … JACKPOT!" Naruto's grin threatened to split his face in two.

Within the contents of the chest Naruto's **Observe** showed him 5000 ryo, a scroll that he saw was part of the other half of his bounty quest, to which he accepted, a D-Rank Katon scroll he'd look at later, and a cool looking orb like item.

"Ok, what does this **Minor Beast Soul Gem** thing do?"

 **Minor Beast Soul Gem (Rare Quality)**

 **Permanently Grants: +5 STR, + 5 DEX, and Detection Skill**

 **Status Effect: Enhancement Item**

 **Description: The concentrated energies of a very strong creature resides within this orb just begging to be released. Using this item will increase your stats and give you a new skill, but can only be used once.**

"Hells yeah!" Naruto couldn't believe his luck and immediately used the gem on himself.

 **You learned the Detection Skill!**

 **Detection Skill:** Lv5. Next Lv 0/650. A skill that will allow the user to detect and find others, be they person or creature, in the nearby vicinity.

Can sense others from 50 meters away.

+15% Resistance against Stealth Attacks

"Not the greatest skill in the world but at least I won't have to wonder off aimlessly when I need to find someone," Naruto also liked the fact that it immediately went to level five instead of one.

* * *

 **Soul Gems**

 **Soul Gems are rare items that are usually dropped by the odd dungeon boss**. **These items are rare as they grant a permanent boost in your stats and even grant skills. Soul Gems differ from scrolls and books as instead of needing to learn and then master a lower rank level before advancing some Soul Gems allow you to skip that level entirely and learn the more advanced form.**

 **Soul Gems come in three ranks: Minor, Medium, and Major. While Minor Soul Gems are rare as they come Medium and Major Soul Gems are even rarer and grant even greater stats and skills. However, the chances of coming across them are extraordinarily low and usually many would take the chance to sell these items for a great amount of ryo as even minor ones bring in a good deal of money.**

* * *

"Ah, crap!" Naruto realized he just used what potentially could have been a very good amount of ryo. "Ah, well. No big loss."

Grabbing what was left in the chest, which was nothing more than a few **Thick Boar Hides** and **Boar Meat,** Naruto watched as the chest disappear in a show of light before a message appeared.

 **Area 1 Dungeon Clear! Do you wish to continue to next dungeon?**

 **(Yes/No)**

Tempting as it was to go to another dungeon and find some more goodies and level up, Naruto knew he wasn't ready to go with his low CP and HP at the moment. The video game player knew from when he first played video games that going into a dungeon with his low amount of recovery items, CP and HP, as well as his lack of a defensive techniques was basically a death wish.

Naruto knew he needed to leave now, restock, and train some more before going to the next level. He had defeated the boss sure but it hadn't been easy as he thought it would be, and the next level he had no doubt it would be that more difficult. "No," he pressed the button.

 **Do you wish to leave the dungeon instead? Once you do you will have to wait 48 hours before reentering a natural dungeon.**

 **(Yes/No)**

Naruto frowned a bit as he saw he'd need to wait a whole two days before he was allowed back in. The boy counted himself lucky he still had the Zombie Dungeon available in less time but the boy knew that he wouldn't be getting the same amount of EXP from the undead because of his now higher level.

Pressing on the "Yes" Naruto saw a flash of light before he found himself outside the training area, and spotted a timer above it that Naruto had no doubt only he could see. "Might as well go and wash up," before he sensed something.

"Ok, who's there?" Naruto prepared himself as best he could when he saw the bushes rustling and spotted an all too familiar face. "Midori?"

" **There you are, Naruto-san. Anko-chan has been looking for you for the last hour,** " she told him.

" _Hour?_ " it hadn't felt that long to him really but then again time flew by rather quickly whenever he played video games. The boy had lost count of the many occasions where he lost track of time whenever he was playing his games.

"Hey, gaki, where the hell were you?" Anko said behind him.

"Gahh! Will you stop doing that?!" Naruto shouted and wondered why his detection ability hadn't sensed her. Naruto guessed it probably had to do with how high her levels were amongst other things.

"I'm the one asking the questions here, gaki," Anko ignored his shouting and gave him a look over, "What happened to you? Get in tussle with a boar or something," she joked.

"How'd you know?" he was genuinely surprised she knew.

The woman merely gave him a look, "I didn't … you know what never mind. So how'd it go?" she had an inkling the gaki went into one of those dungeons things like last time.

"Pretty well," he grinned.

"I haven't known you that long, gaki but I can tell you're bluffing so spill," being an interrogator, and one of Konoha's bests, Anko knew how to pick up lies and while Naruto could fool some it wouldn't work on her.

"Damn it," he groaned, "I won, but it wasn't easy, ya happy?"

"Yep," the woman smirked, "Find anything good?"

"Yeah, this dagger," he showed her though Anko didn't look all that impressed by its appearance, "trust me the thing's better than it looks. And this," here he showed her Onibuta's head.

"Holy crap he's ugly!" Anko shouted at the sight of the enormous boar's head. "Should I be worried by the fact you have a boar's head?"

"It's the head of Onibuta. The damn this is needed to complete a mission along with this thing," he showed her a scroll.

"Let me see that," Anko took the roll of parchment from his hands and began reading its content, "*Whistle*, wow gaki. Do you have any idea what this is?"

"Not really," with him just leaving the dungeon and her taking it from him now the boy hadn't had the chance to do so. "What is it?"

"Something I heard that the Inuzuka Clan lost about a month ago. It's a breeding proposal with the Matagi Clan, a minor clan from Tetsu no Kuni. They sent a convey a while back but it never reached its destination, something about a strong beast taking them by surprise a dozen miles from Konoha and they've had no luck tracking the damn thing," which was saying something really as Anko knew the Inuzuka were the best trackers and hunters in Hi no Kuni. " _Though I did hear there was some heavy downpour at the time when it happened,"_ as good and skilled as they were the Inuzuka weren't perfect, and rain had the bad habit of making hunts much harder to track or find a scent.

"Isn't Tetsu no Kuni a samurai country?" Naruto asked because it sounded familiar to him. The boy had heard that out of all the swordsmen in the Elemental Countries the samurai were easily the best bar a few exceptions. At least that's what some of the video games said and the occaisonal conversations he heard in the village.

"Am I hot and sexy?" she asked.

"Yes," Naruto blurted out without thinking.

 **Your reputation with Anko has increased by 150! You're Reputation with Anko is now Friendly!**

"Awww, aren't you sweet," Anko hugged him to her chest, "too bad your too young and I'm too sexy for prison. And yes, Tetsu is samurai country."

"Chnt bhethke! (Can't breathe)!," Naruto mumbled from her ample bosom.

"Whoops," here she dropped the gasping preteen, "Trust me gaki you couldn't ask for a better death," she smirked at the glaring but also blushing blond. "Oh, don't tell me you didn't like it?"

Naruto merely blushed at the provocative statement, " _They were nice and soft,_ " he thought before mentally slapping himself as the image popped into his head.

"Whatcha thinking," the woman's smirk gave the impression she already knew but loved teasing the boy.

"None of your business!" a flushed Naruto shouted but only made Anko smirk even wider.

"Was it about these," she pushed her breasts together.

"Gahhhhhh!" an embarrassed Naruto hightailed it out of the area as quickly as he could.

" **There is something seriously wrong with you Anko-chan,** " Midori noted.

"And one would think you'd be used to it by now, Midori," rebutted.

" ** _One would think so but no,_** " the green constrictor was used to it but had doubts she'd ever get fully used to it. Anko was very creative, especially when it came to sex appeal and torture.

* * *

 **(Sometime Later)**

Walking towards the Inuzuka Clan compound with Anko beside him Naruto wondered how he was going to play it out. Anko was with him because one she was bored, that much was evident, and the other was because of the bounty. The woman reasoning her being there for that part was because the Inuzuka Clan wouldn't take him seriously since he wasn't one of their own and an academy student to boot. It also wasn't that big a secret to know that Naruto was considered the weakest academy student. Him showing up with Onibuta's head would raise some questions. With Anko there she could better help out.

"A few things you need to know about the Inuzuka Clan, gaki. They are very pack oriented. Their mindset is a combination a human's with some canine tendencies. An Inuzuka never forgives and forgets if you cross them and can be very territorial when they want to be. Also don't be surprised if some of them challenges you, if it happens don't back out without a reason because you'll lose their respect. And if you see an older Inuzuka hitting one younger than them don't worry about it, Inuzuka discipline is pretty much tough love. Any abuse on a child here I heard is dealt with harshly. The difference in the two is in the intent behind it," tough love was more getting a point across such as a very important lesson but still showing them you care while abuse was basically hurting another for no reason at all. Whenever the latter happened she had heard that the person was sometimes put to death as the Inuzuka greatly treasure family and their young ones.

"Ok," Naruto thought it was simple enough… sorta.

"Also if one of their female clansmen takes an interest in you don't be surprised if wake up naked with them the next morning," she added. "Though if it does happen according to Inuzuka law you're now married."

"WHAT!" married at his age! What the bloody fuck!

"Hahahaha," Anko laughed at the boy's horrified look, "Oh, man. You're too easy, gaki," she laughed. The boy was so much fun to mess with. In truth however the practice died out before the clan joined Konoha.

"Not funny!" glared at the woman. "How do you deal with it, Midori?"

" **One agonizing day at a time, Naruto-san, one agonizing day at a time** ," Midori told him. " **That or the alternative is taking your life.** "

"Hey!"

"Yeah, pass," he liked living and he couldn't very well become Hokage if he was a corpse… at least he didn't think so. " _Hmm, Uzumaki Naruto the world's first zombie Hokage ... Nah!_ " The whole decomposing flesh look wasn't his thing.

Arriving at the compound that had a dominant dog smell, luckily it was more on the pleasant side than the usually smelly or wet dog smell, Naruto could hear several barks ranging from high to low pitch tones. The boy spotted a few of them too running around with some being the size of his head while others he saw could easily tower over him.

Nearby Naruto spotted some clansmen approaching them with their ninken.

"Don't worry, gaki let me handle this," Anko had previous dealing with the Inuzuka whenever she went on certain tracking missions. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Anko took in an even deeper breath and then, "Oi, Tsume! Get your ass out here you bitch!"

"What the hell!" Naruto was seriously wondering if Anko was trying to get them killed. " _I knew she was crazy but this is nuts!_ " Naruto had heard of Tsume through Kiba, she was his mother after all, and the one thing Kiba feared and respected the most was his mother. Naruto guessed the woman's form of tough love left an impression on him.

"Snake bitch!" a voice from the compound called and a woman with short brown hair, feral eyes and with a wolf familiar wearing an eye-patch appeared. As the woman walked towards them Naruto couldn't help but feel like he was being stalked by a strong and deadly predator that was ready to pounce on them at any given time.

As the woman suddenly appeared before Anko in a frightening burst of speed Naruto could not keep up with the purple haired woman didn't even blink and stood tall and impassive as she locked eyes with the feral looking woman. Naruto had no idea what was happening but after several seconds or so Tsume grinned and so did Anko before the older woman grabbed her in a shoulder hug.

"Good to see you again, Anko-chan, Midori," Tsume acknowledged the snake but affectionately greeted the girl in a way Naruto could compare to be almost motherly, "So what's the occasion?"

"Me nothing, just here to help the gaki out," Anko motioned towards Naruto, "Mind if we speak in private."

Nodding Tsume then barked at her clansmen to get back to their duties and while it may have sounded harsh to Naruto the boy remembered that what seemed harsh to him was a normal and everyday thing to the Inuzuka.

As they entered the compound house, which held a lot of pillow cushions and was very tidy for a place that held a large amount of dogs, Naruto couldn't help but admire some of the décor. The walls had old and rusted antic weapons stacked on them, mostly claw or fist based ones for some reason, drawings of an enormous white dog creature howling at the moon on a cliff, and other dog related objects.

As they arrived at a room Tsume made a hand sign that caused the door and windows to shut close and shimmer temporarily in a purplish hue. "Now no one will think about snooping around," as much as she trusted her clan members Tsume knew first hand that not everyone was loyal to the clan. "So what's this all about?"

"Well the gaki's got something for you," she nudged the boy forward.

"Don't worry pup I don't bite … well as much as you used to at least," her fanged grin made Naruto wonder if she was joking or not. For some strange reason he was leaning more so towards the latter one. "Sometime today, pup."

If Tsume was anything like her son then Naruto knew she was the impatient sort. Reaching into his inner pocket Naruto pulled out a scroll that held Onibuta's head, having switched it from his **Inventory Box** to the scroll at Anko behest. The last thing they needed was someone asking how the Deadlast of all people was capable of using a space-time technique that could hold an infinite amount of items when he couldn't even perform a basic Bushin no Jutsu. Pumping some chakra into the scroll the room filled with a puff of white and Tsume was greeted with the head of Onibuta.

"Damn," the lounging woman muttered, "I've seen my share of ugly boars but this one looks like it got hit with the ugly tree over and over again by Senju Tsunade herself. Who's this?"

"Onibuta," Naruto informed her.

"Really, well imagine that. I heard some of the locals talk about this thing but didn't bother doing anything with it seeing as how I wanted to see if some of the pups around here would bring it down," if Tsume was impressed she didn't show it, honestly Naruto thought she looked bored.

"And this here, I found it in its burrow," Naruto then presented her with the scroll.

Taking it Naruto saw Tsume's eyes light up and had no time to react before she wrapped in a bone crushing hug, "Can't…breathe!" Naruto seriously had no idea what was with these women trying to kill him with their bodies.

 **Your reputation with the Inuzuka Clan has increased by 500! You are now Friendly with many in the Inuzuka Clan including Tsume!**

"Pup, you have no idea how grateful I am," Tsume dropped him, "So the pig had it this whole time, huh? If I'd known that I'd have put more effort in finding the elusive son of a bitch," some of her Genin had gone after the boar as a coming of age thing and to gain recognition but none had managed to find it. Tsume honestly thought the Genin were talentless and didn't have what it took, and still did if Naruto of all people not only found but killed the beast too, "Where was it?"

"In Training Area 1," he said, "why?"

"That's weird. Why the hell would the boar have a den there," Tsume wondered before shrugging, "Well, that certainly explains why my Genin couldn't find the damn beast. They were looking in the wrong area this whole time."

"If that scroll was so important why not put more effort into finding it?" Naruto dared asking.

"Actually it was more so important for the Matagi Clan instead of us. But it had some information on there that while not very vital for either one of use was still private. Anyway, pup, on behalf of the clan I thank you. Heard there was a bounty on this damn thing so I'll pay you instead and bring this thing in for you," Tsume offered.

"Thanks. Uh," Naruto hesitated.

"Spill it, pup," Tsume told him.

"Anko said that the Matagi Clan was from Tetsu no Kuni? So why-"

"So you're wondering why we're dealing with a clan from a samurai country," Tsume finished for him, "Despite they're from samurai lands the Matagi Clan are nomads in Tetsu instead of being either a samurai or ninja clan. The Matagi are basically a clan of hunters that specialize in hunting in harsh winter environments and Tetsu no Kuni employees them because they have winter there nine to ten months out of the year and the Matagi are easily the best winter hunters in the Elemental Countries. We outrank them in terms of power and influence but they have us beat as winter hunters. We're just trying to see what the result would be if our ninken bred with theirs."

Thinking about it for a second a thought popped into her mind, "Hey, pup, how much do you like dogs?"

"Huh?

 **[QUEST Complete!]**

 **Onibuta's Bounty**

 **Main Quest: Collect the Onibuta's bounty from whoever placed the bounty. (Accomplished)**

 **Total Rewards: 550 EXP, 35,000 Ryo, 500 REP with Inuzuka Clan, *Ninja Dog (Familiar)***

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Level: 7 Next Level: 3480/4500**

 **Title: Academy Student**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 1400**

 **CP: 2300**

 **STR: 33**

 **VIT: 37**

 **DEX: 43**

 **INT: 71**

 **WIS: 15.75**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 30**

 **Perks:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards reputation gain

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP towards Chakra Control

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards reputation gain, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Beginner Zombie Slayer:** 30% increase attack and defense against Undead, +5 stats when facing Undead, +10% additional drops and Exp from Undead

 **Status Effects:**

 **Malnourished:** Hampered physical growth rate, -25% to VIT, DEX, and STR stat base, +20% vulnerability to poisons

 **Description:** Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently an academy student with inspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. At the moment, Naruto is considered by many as a shoe in for the title of **Dead Last.**

 **Money** : 40940 Ryo ~ (4094$)

 **Attribute Points: 16**

* * *

 **Katon: Hidama** (Fire Release: Fireball) D-Rank. Lv. 5 Next Lv. 3/650. **CP Usage: 31.5 (Fire Affinity)**

This technique creates a small fireball that can both burn flesh and conceal shuriken. Though basic and more or less used to make campfires this technique is a great stepping stone for learning more complicated Katon Ninjutsu.

Can create two fireballs

Does 25-36 damage

Chances of burning is 20%

* * *

 **Fūton: Reppūshō** (Wind Release: Gale Palm) C-Rank. Lv. 4 Next Lv. 29/400.

 **CP Usage: 35.2 (Wind Affinity)**

A simple technique that when the user's hands are clapped together, wind is compressed and transformed into a powerful gale that can easily knock over a human. The true value comes from using it together with projectile weapons like shuriken, increasing their speed, power, and ability to wound or even kill are all increased several times.

Shuriken speed and damage increased by 28%

Chances of knocking others down is 44%

Does 41 damage to opponent

* * *

 **Basic Blunt Weapons Mastery.** Lv7. Next Lv 28/650. A skill that allows the user to freely handle blunt weapons.

Passively increases the power of blunt weapons by 22%

Passively increases the striking speed of blunt weapons by 11%

Passively increases the critical hit rate of blunt weapons by 11%

* * *

 **An early present for my readers for the long weekend. Just letting you all know that I have a plot for this on what I want Naruto to become. On another note go to Michma13 on deviantart, my account, and go to journals. It has picture links for some of my fics though not all are up yet. I suggest you authors do the the same thing too till fanfiction fixes our profile problem. Also I will answer your questions, within reason, and have a nice weekend. Also don't forget to read and review my other story Scion of the Nidaime Hokage.**

 **Anyway enjoy, reviews tons (50-60) please and I will update soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Chapter 7**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Decisions, Decisions**

"Huh?" was Naruto's intelligent response to Tsume's questions. "Dog's are cool, I guess. Thought I'd get one when I was older but being a ninja and all means I'd have to go away a lot so. Then there's the whole they don't live that long. I mean Ayame-neechan and Teuchi-jisan, maybe even Ojisan could probably look after it when I'm gone-"

"Woah, pup, I just want a simple yes or no answer, not your life story," Tsume interrupted the boy though she could tell he had given it some thought.

"Oh," Naruto blushed a bit, "Uh, yes?"

"…What the hell kind of answer was that?" Tsume asked him.

"Excuse us for a moment, thanks," Anko grabbed hold of the boy and dragged him outside. "Gaki, do you have any idea what this means?"

"I get a dog?" Naruto's response got him a smack on the head, "Ow, what the hell!"

"This is an Inuzuka Ninja Dog, gaki. Just calling them a dog is like calling a ninja a mere mercenary for hire, it doesn't do it justice and it's insulting. Do you have any idea- Scratch that, you don't know shit about what's happening at the moment. Anyway, the amount of times I know the Inuzuka give someone outside the clan one of their ninken I can count on my hands," without a very large payment of course.

"Their dogs are specially bred for specific purposes such as guarding, tracking, or attack techniques. Though all have it but some breeds are stronger in some of them than others, and as they get older and depending on how well trained they are they make even some Jounin hesitate to face them."

When she put it like that Naruto had to admit it sounded way cooler than he originally thought they would. With regular dogs Naruto knew he'd have to train them, which would take time, and even then they'd only be good for companionship, which was good, but helping him as a ninja not so much. If what Anko was saying was true a ninja dog could help him out and be a companion at the same time.

* * *

 **Ninken (Ninja Dog)**

Ninken are essentially special breeds of dogs that have greater senses and abilities than their regular counterparts, which enable them to work with ninja. They are quite dangerous in combat, as some have been known to rip and tear even Jonin to shreds. Ninken, much like summons, are usually placed into categories. With Ninken the categories are: **Tracking Dogs, Attack Dogs, Guard Dogs.** Many clans breed only a specific category of ninja dog while some like the Inuzuka Clan try and create hybrids.

 **Tracking Dogs:** A special breed of ninken that have an unmatched sense of smell and abilities to track down, capture, and bring down their prey. They have a great deal of stealth, speed and are capable of sneaking up on Jounin before it's too late for them to react.

 **Attack Dogs:** A special breed of ninken specially bred for ripping the opposition to shreds quickly and with little effort. These dogs are highly dangerous and second to none when using collaboration techniques or by themselves.

 **Guard Dogs:** A special breed of ninken that is known for their high stamina, constitution, and pain threshold that would otherwise result in the death of other dogs. Fiercely loyal they will fight to the death for their partner or family.

* * *

"How smart are ninken?" Naruto asked. Though the pop up was useful it didn't mention anything in that regard.

"Not the expert but I've been around quite a few and I know most are as smart as humans, in some cases like Tsume's ninken partner, Kuromaru, they can even speak our language. Though it's pretty rare and usually only the older ones that can do it," she informed him. "Add the fact that they can live as long as humans means you`ll have a companion for life," Anko decided to forgo mentioning that the average lifespan of ninken was similar to that of a ninja and kunoichi. It was a hazardous lifestyle after all.

Naruto had to admit it sounded better and better the more Anko told him. With a normal dog Naruto knew he'd never be able to bring it with him on missions, the creature would be ripped to shreds. When Naruto thought of the amount of times he'd have to leave home for long term missions, at least according to Iruka-sensei, the dog probably wouldn't really bond with him and he'd more or less be in the care of someone else. Chances are the dog would bond with the caretaker instead and they'd have no connection to one another.

At the moment he saw a lot of pros of owning a ninken. They'd live as long as him, which meant he wouldn't have to worry about it getting old and then die by the time he was in his twenties, maybe even less. They'd be able to help him during missions which meant he wouldn't have to leave them with someone and with his Dungeon Creation skill the ninken would most likely help it get stronger more quickly. Plus it was always good to have companionship.

With steel in his eyes, a look that Anko noticed and made her grin, Naruto looked at Tsume and asked, "How do I do this?"

The feral looking mother of two merely looked at Naruto for a few moments before she gave him a fanged smiled. Naruto had no idea why she did it but guessed he did something right when she motioned both him and Anko to follow her.

"First off, pup, ninken require a constant dose of daily activity otherwise they can age pretty damn quickly. Luckily, if this happen they're back to their former selves if you start training with them again though it'll take some time. Secondly, a ninken's metabolism is higher than a regular dog and while they aren't as likely to get sick it can still happen if you don't feed or take care of them properly, the pups more so. They need protein and while they can eat it raw it's best if you cook it, don't want them to get parasites," Naruto took note of Kuromaru shuddering as Tsume said that and guessed the ninja wolf-dog hybrid had suffered from them once.

Tsume continued to list some things for him to follow, one of which would be him having to learn and teach the ninken its own techniques as while the pup would instinctively know one or two of the clan's techniques they wouldn't teach Naruto. Grateful as she was she wasn't going to teach a non Inuzuka member clan techniques. Even then Naruto needed to have been born an Inuzuka and conditioned at a very young age to use the techniques at their fullest with the ninken. Their techniques were classified as Hidenjutsu for a reason.

As she kept talking Naruto felt his mind wonder a bit and spotted several Inuzuka clansmen teaching some of the younger ninken and saw others practicing and mock fighting with his or her partner. On some occasion Naruto spotted a clan member with more than one ninken.

"Pup, are you listening?" Tsume's growled at the boy and Naruto swore she was ready to discipline him.

"Sorry, just distracted," he motioned to the Inuzuka member with two dogs.

The frown remained on her face but Naruto noticed a subtle shift in intensity, "You're wondering why he has two, huh? Fair enough. Most of us have only one ninken partner but sometimes a clan member gets more than one. My daughter Hana got triplets through her bonding," Tsume's voice was filled with pride.

"Bonding?"

"Basically it's how a clan member and a ninken know who their partner is going to be," she elaborated. "The experience is usually different for every one of us."

Tsume's mind began to wander briefly. Kiba like most Inuzuka children had been given his ninken, Akamaru, and while it wasn't uncommon for some Inuzuka not to bond on the spot both the white puppy and her son had clicked, despite the white pup pissing on his face. In Hana's case she bonded with the Three Haimaru Brothers when the triplets lost their mother due to complications. Hana had made an instinctive decision to care for them and all four were inseparable ever since.

With Tsume and Kuromaru it was more volatile. Kuromaru was three years old before he had a partner, much older than the average one or two year old ninken, and was already large and strong for his age. Tsume and Kuromaru's bonding was both of them fighting one another for dominance with Tsume winning in the end by the skin of her teeth. Kuromaru then saw her as a suitable and strong partner and the two were close ever since.

Part of her wondered what the bonding would be like for Naruto. It was very rare for ninja outside the clan to receive such an opportunity, the last one had been Hatake Sakumo when he saved several members and had bonded with several ninken instead of one. From what she could recall the hounds and makeshift summoning scroll he created and used in conjunction with them were passed down to his son when the man performed seppuku.

As they arrived at the kennels, to which Anko looked smug as they passed by the demoted Chunin who was cleaning up some of the cages of ill dogs, the group stopped at an enclosure that held various rambunctious puppies.

"These pups are a year or two old and while they don't look like it now they'll get deadlier and stronger as they get older," Tsume informed before opening the paddock to let him in.

"So how do I know which one to choose?" Naruto asked as he approached the puppies.

"I could tell you … but it's more fun watching," the woman smirked.

"Gee, thanks," Naruto had no freaking idea what he was supposed to do at the moment. Picking some up and using his **Observe** on some of them, the latter one didn't really help all that much, Naruto proceeded to go by trial and error.

"Ah, fuck not again!" Naruto put down the latest male pup that pissed on him. " _And these are new clothes too._ "

Naruto took it as a sign that they weren't his if they moved away or pissed on him like a few others did, "At least they didn't shit on me," he muttered only to step on something mushy and earning howls of laughter from Anko and Tsume.

"Starting to fucking hate this!" Naruto removed his ninja sandal and began smacking it against the wall to remove as much of it as he could. He'd have to wash it later to get rid of the smell too.

"Grrrr," Naruto heard a small growl.

"Oh, what the hell now," Naruto looked around but with the various puppies around him the boy had no idea which one did it.

"Grrrrraaaa!"

"Yoww! Mother fuc-," looking down Naruto spotted a dark brown/orange stripped puppy using his leg as a chew toy! "Why you little!" grabbing the puppy by the scruff of its neck Naruto hauled it up, or at least tried as the small dog had his leg in a vice grip and merely ended up hurting himself.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Tsume smirked, "That's Hottomaru. His mother was one of Kuromaru's grand-daughters and his father was a Komainu from one of the stronger but now extinct ninken clans."

"Komainu?" Anko asked.

"A strong breed of ninken that we managed to get breeding rights before the clan perished. Pissed off the wrong people and you know the rest. Komainu are head strong as pups but very protective and loyal for life once you earn their trust. Even at a very young age their bite force is pretty strong and when they get older Komainu bites are considered one of the strongest and deadliest among ninken and can take more punishment than any ninken breed as well."

"Let go damn it!" Naruto shouted and tried to shake the pup off his leg. While their bite force was pretty strong Hottomaru was still relatively young and while the small pup managed to hold on for a very good amount of time the pup was forced to let go of the leg before it was sent flying.

Glaring at the small pup, who merely glared back at Naruto, Naruto snatched the small dog out of the air as it lunged at him and held it by the scruff of its neck. "What's his problem?"

"Nothing really most pups with a wolf lineage go through this stage. Mock fighting among pups is how they get a better feel for their bodies," Tsume told him.

"Yeah, well why aint he mock fighting with his siblings," Naruto dodged a streak of piss sent at him.

"He can't, unfortunately. Only a few were born from the breeding and two of them didn't make it. Hottomaru's mother was of Akita lineage but she was killed on a mission with her partner. The sire stayed with the Komainu Clan and the pup is the only one left of his family. He gets along fine with the other pups but keeps to himself mostly, no one in the clan's been able to bond with him so far," Tsume informed the boy and T&I specialist.

Looking down at the pup Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit between of resemblance in terms of circumstance. Unlike him the pup had family, but no parents or siblings much like himself. Putting him down on the ground Naruto knelt down and looked at Hottomaru straight in the eye and the pup matched him. When several seconds passed Hottomaru got up and playfully bite the boy's nose.

"Ow," a stuffed sounding Naruto muttered. The bite was nowhere as bad as when the pup bit his leg but it still hurt nonetheless. Scratching Hottomaru behind his ears the pup let go and fell to ground with a look of pure joy in his eyes as Naruto proceeded to give the pup a belly rub. When he stopped the pup got up and glared slightly at Naruto as if it was embarrassed by the action.

"He'll do," Naruto said as he picked of the stripped dog.

Tsume frowned slightly. While it was clear both had bonded with one another, in a rather strange way, the woman was a tad apprehensive about giving up the only pup with Komainu blood in it. The dog was the only one of his species at the moment.

While tough and hard Tsume was a person who kept her promise when she gave her word. "Alright, pup. He's yours. But when he gets old enough I want him to breed with some of the bitches here to ensure his lineage. For all intended purposes the pup's the last of his breed even if mixed."

Naruto didn't really like the sound of it as it made Hottomaru sound like a tool instead of a companion but once more Naruto needed to remind himself that the Inuzuka saw things differently.

 **Congratulations you now have a ninken familiar!**

When Tsume left to go get him some basic ninken care taking tools and instructions, Naruto quietly muttered **Observe** on Hottomaru.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Job: Ninken (Ninja Dog)**

 **Level: 3 Next Level: 89/1400**

 **Reputation: Neutral (400/1000)**

 **Title: Naruto's Partner**

 **Specialization: Battle Pet**

 **Ninken Category: Hybrid "Guard and Tracking"**

 **HP: 225**

 **CP: 175**

 **STR: 6**

 **VIT: 9**

 **DEX: 17**

 **INT: 7**

 **WIS: 6**

 **LUK: 15**

 **Defense: 0**

 **Perks:**

 **Ninja Dog:** Human Lifespan, Ability to Mold Chakra, Potential to speak human language

 **Komainu Lineage (Guard Dog):** +1 VIT, +1 STR per Lv, +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Biting Techniques, -20% Effectiveness and EXP towards Training and Reputation, "?"

 **Akita Lineage (Tracking Dog):** +2 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Tracking Skill, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Stealth, +10% towards Movement Speed during and outside combat

 **Keen-Senses:** +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odors

 **Description: A two old ninja dog with Komainu blood in his veins. While possessing great potential like his cousin Akamaru, Hottomaru like most Komainu pups require a good amount of discipline and can be difficult to train but are fiercely loyal and protective of their owners and partners.**

* * *

Naruto didn't care all that much for the hard to train bit but he was never one to back down from a challenge. The reputation bit appearing when he used **Observe** intrigued him though and guessed that because it was now at level nine more info would be revealed to him. " _Guess the_ _-20% Training and Reputation thing brought down the 500 Rep._ "

Using it on Anko and Tsume Naruto saw that with Anko he was Friendly **(50/3000)** and with Tsume he was Friendly **(0/3000)** , " _I've got a long way ahead of me if I'm gonna complete that quest,_ " he was also worried that some of his actions might even bring down some of the reputation points he had with Anko. Naruto also wondered why the Reputation levels were different between Hottomaru and Tsume at the moment. Though he took a page out of Anko's books and let it be, he'd rather not deal with a headache at the moment.

"Mom, the idiot they sent stepped on one of the dogs' tails again," Kiba entered the scene with Akamaru. "They have him-"

"You!" Anko lunged at Kiba and hosted the hooded academy student by the collar of his hoodie.

"What the hell you crazy bitch!?" Kiba shouted with Akamaru barking at her.

"You're gonna pay for that runt! And your little mutt too!" she glared at Akamaru and the small dog felt himself scared by her gaze and began backing away with his tail between his legs. "Midori!" Anko called out.

" **Not now, Anko-chan, I'm trying to sleep,** " the tired serpent stated.

"The brat and his ninken from who pissed on us earlier are right in front of us," Anko added.

" **I'll kill em!"** Midori considered herself to be very level headed and slow to anger but even she had her trigger. Getting pissed on by someone was one of them, especially when that someone could be easily turned into a meal.

"Mind telling me what the hell's happening?" Tsume returned while Midori began to chase a yelping Akamaru. Naruto knew the green constrictor was basically playing with her food as the saying went and was merely tormenting the poor puppy. Though it was his own fault really for pissing on Anko.

"Akamaru, or maybe Kiba, pissed on Anko a while back," Naruto informed her and the boy swore Hottomaru was laughing a bit. " _If I didn't know about talking animals this would seem weird_ ," it still was but not as much. Deciding to see someone while he had the chance Naruto used **Observe** on Akamaru.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Akamaru**

 **Job: Ninken (Ninja Dog)**

 **Level: 4 Next Level: 1149/2100**

 **Reputation: Neutral (700/1000)**

 **Title: Kiba's Partner**

 **Specialization: Battle Pet**

 **Ninken Category: Hybrid "Attack and Tracking"**

 **HP: 175**

 **CP: 150**

 **STR: 7**

 **VIT: 7**

 **DEX: 21**

 **INT: 6**

 **WIS: 6**

 **LUK: 16**

 **Defense: 0**

 **Ninja Dog:** Human Lifespan, Ability to Mold Chakra, Potential to speak human language

 **Wolf Lineage (Attack Dog):** +1 STR, +1 DEX per Lv, +25% Effectiveness & EXP towards Collaboration Techniques

 **Akita Lineage (Tracking Dog):** +2 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Tracking Skill, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Stealth, +10% towards Movement Speed during and outside combat

 **Keen-Senses:** +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odors

 **Description: A two old ninja dog and Kiba's partner. Though young and appearing like a normal puppy Akamaru is quite intelligent and strong for his age and size.**

* * *

" _Almost the same as Hottomaru,"_ Naruto noted before he saw Tsume give her son a pointed look, "What? Akamaru and I were testing out a potential technique."

" _What the hell kind of technique involves pissing on someone?_ " Kiba wasn't the brightest student in the academy but Naruto knew he had wit, street smarts, and common freaking sense in that small brain of his.

"Dude, that's gotta be lamest excuse I ever heard," Naruto said.

"It ain't an excuse! And for the record dobe some of yours are lamer," Kiba shot back.

"Are not, dog-breath!"

"You once told Iruka-sensei you missed class because you had your period!" Kiba announced.

"What!" Anko and Tsume looked at Naruto in disbelief.

"That was years ago! I was young and didn't know only women have it!" a very embarrassed Naruto said and recalled how the class nearly busted a gut because of the lame excuse. The boy really wished he hadn't skipped that portion of sex-ed, the class hadn't let him forget about it for nearly a month and a half. "At least I didn't piss on a T&I specialist!"

Narutop's quick thinking had the reaction he wanted and Anko's attention was redirected towards the now paling Inuzuka Clan heir, "Uh, mom? Little help here would be solid."

"Anko don't kill my son," Kiba had a look of relief, "just make sure he learns his lesson," she finished and Kiba's pale face became three times whiter and then some as Anko had an oh-so familiar sadistic grin on her face.

"Will do. See ya tomorrow, gaki," with that the sadistic woman proceeded to drag the feral looking boy off somewhere to do who knows what to him. Naruto personally didn't want to know what she was going to do.

"You know Anko's not gonna go easy on him, right?" he told her.

"Pup, I've known Anko longer than you have, the girl's like a second daughter to me, what does that tell you?"

"You're as much a sadist as she is?"

"Got a problem with it?" the look she had made him shake his head.

"Smart, pup. Anyhow as much as I love that thick headed kid of mine I learned that it's best if Kiba sometimes learns life lessons through more unorthodox means. It's the only thing that works with him really," Tsume looked at the blond. "Here's what you'll need to take care of Hottomaru and all we need for you to do now is sign some papers of ownership and you're good to go."

A good ten minutes later, agonizing ones based on Kiba's screams for mercy, Naruto and Hottomaru promptly left the Inuzuka Clan compound and headed home. The boy counted himself lucky that his apartment didn't have a "no pets rule" but Naruto knew he'd have to save up some cash to buy a house. According to Tsume, dogs, especially puppies, were very energetic and loved open spaces to get rid of it and unwind.

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Home Sweet Home!**

 **Main Quest: Buy a house!**

 **Side Quest: Find out more about owning houses!**

 **Main Quest Completion: ? EXP, ? REP with Hottomaru, Own a House!**

 **Side Quest Completion: 250 EXP**

 **Accept? (Yes/No)**

* * *

" _OK? How the hell I'm I gonna buy a house?_ " Naruto accepted nonetheless but was curious on not only how he was gonna buy a house in the first place. He was just as curious about the question mark for experience gain and wondered why no actual number was being shown. " _Might as well check it out tomorrow,"_ he thought before he and Hottomaru entered his apartment. "It's not much but its home," Naruto told the ninjen pup that proceeded to sniff everything in sight before-

"Hey, you can't piss on that!" he was too late and the side of chair had piss on it. "No! Bad dog! No peeing in the room!"

Hottomaru merely yawned, proceeded to scratch his ear with his hind leg, and then jumped on the bed where he curled up and began to sleep. Naruto's eye merely twitched at the act of defiance. The boy had been informed that while smarter than many other animals they were still animals nonetheless and Hottomaru was still a puppy so training him to trust and listen to him was not going to be a walk in the park. Ninken were more sentient and intelligent than their mundane counterparts, it was almost like raising a human being. " _This is gonna take some getting use to._ "

* * *

 **(Next Day)**

Waking up early on the Sunday with his HP and CP fully recovered, and with a new bunkmate to boot, Naruto performed his morning ritual and tried his best not to wake up Hottomaru in the process. Naruto wanted to make sure his reputation with his ninken went up not down.

Making some breakfast, which was merely boiled rice and cooked eggs, the smell waking and attracting Hottomaru's attention in the process, Naruto ate his meal and gave some of it to the dog as well.

" _And after all that I only get a lousy +20 Rep increase with him,_ " originally it was 25 but the Komainu perk took 5 points off. Looking at the time Naruto remembered he needed to meet with Anko and Jiji at his office. As prepared to leave Naruto saw Hottomaru behind him and from the looks of things the boy guessed the pup was eager to get out of the small apartment. "Ah, fine, come on."

Naruto didn't bother with a leash as Tsume told him ninken hated them, even when used for undercover missions and trying pass off as regular dogs. Going into a light jog towards the Hokage Tower to see if the pup could catch up to him Naruto was surprised to see Hottomaru could. Bringing up the pace and then going into a run the blond saw that Hottomaru while still good wasn't fairing as well and slowed down a bit so the ninja puppy could catch up to him. After the meeting was done Naruto was going to start training the pup. He still had a good few hours before he was allowed to use his **IDC** skill and enter the Zombie Dungeon.

At least there the enemies were at a decent level that was close to Hottomaru's and with his new weapons and ninjutsu Naruto would have no problems facing them.

Entering the building, Naruto and Hottomaru made their way up the stairs and entered the waiting room, "Hey, Mariko-neechan!"

"Naruto-kun," Mariko greeted the boy before Hottomaru jumped on her desk.

"No! Bad dog!" Naruto chided.

"Oh, he's so cute," Mariko began scratching the puppy and the dog was loving everything second of it, his hind leg kicking in the air as she gave him a belly rub, " _Lousy no for got little-"_

"So how goes the pet training, gaki," Anko asked.

"Gah! Will you stop that!" Naruto was getting pretty sick of this game.

"Nope," she grinned and spotted Hottomaru, "Wow, you're dog left you for a woman with magic fingers," Hottomary began doing yelps of pleasure and his leg was shaking like crazy, "Can't say I didn't see it coming."

"Send them in, Mariko-chan," Hiruzen's voice carried over the intercom.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Mariko motioned them to the door and Naruto grabbed Hottomaru by the scruff of his neck and had him follow him inside the office, " _Lousy, mutt,_ " Naruto thought.

"Take a seat you two," Hiruzen motioned to the seat but saw that one of them was already occupied, "Uhh, I guess one of you will have to share a seat. Who's ninken is that?"

"Mine. How'd you know Hottomaru's a ninken, Jiji?" Naruto's efforts to get the pup to sit on the floor was proving fruitless and in the end he merely had the pup lay down on his lap.

"I'm not the Hokage for nothing, Naruto-kun," Hiruzen stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "This wouldn't have to do with that D-rank bounty completion I received yesterday, would it?"

"Umm."

"I thought so," he sighed, "I don't know whether to scold you or congratulate you on completing your first C-Rank mission, Naruto-kun," Hiruzen said.

"C-Rank mission? But the bounty was a D-Rank one?" Naruto was confused.

"The value and rank of bounties and missions varies, Naruto-kun. Eradication or capture of wildlife such as Onibuta is considered a C-Rank mission," truthfully the boy should have learned more about this at the academy but the man didn't know if he was to blame it on Naruto skipping out on that lesson or it was due to their current academy spy.

"At any rate congratulations on you're newfound companion," Hiruzen chuckled as the ninken pup barked at him, "you'll have your work cut out for you."

Hiruzen remembered when he first summoned a very young Enma when the monkey summon was the Prince of the Monkeys before he became the clan leader. The arrogant and hot-headed princeling at the time didn't want to cooperate with him when they first met but over time the two had become the closest of friends and Hiruzen could always rely on the King of the Monkeys.

"Now on to business. First off, I don't need to stress the fact that neither one of you are to reveal the existence of the Abyss Auction House," both nodded, "Good. Unfortunately, it also means one other thing."

Here Hiruzen took out two pieces of paper and passed them both to his ninja and ninja to be. "Hokage-sama?" the woman was worried.

"There's no need to be frightened, Anko. This here is a protection seal that Senju Mito developed at the request of her husband and the Abyss. It's a form of defense so that no one may forcibly extract any information about the Abyss Auction House, unlike the curse seal they develop for those who work for them. However, I connect stress the ramifications that can occur should either one of you reveal them without my or their authority."

Anko breathed more easily and Naruto noticed the woman putting her hand to her neck, " _What's that about?_ "

After administering the protection seal, a weird but painless experience in his mind, Naruto had to admit it was pretty cool. " _Kinda think of it that perk of mine said I get more experience and effectiveness from fuinjutsu._ "

"Hey, Jiji, can I learn how to do seals?" Naruto asked.

" _Oh, kami-sama,_ " Hiruzen was dreading this. The Uzumaki Clan were feared far and wide because of their mastery in fuinjutsu with good reason. Even at a young age the average Uzumaki had a better grasp and understanding of seals than most others, when it came to Uzumaki prodigies in the art it was a whole other ball game. " _If Naruto inherited even a drop of talent for that field from either one of his parents many will start to ask questions. Even the enemy,_ " while Minato was much more powerful than his wife and a prodigy that excelled at everything he did, the woman was still a very strong kunoichi and was the only one that outranked him in terms of fuinjutsu.

She was no Tsunade it terms of power and prowess but was one of the few kunoichi of her lifetime that many thought had the potential to rival and perhaps be on par with her someday.

" _Naruto's getting stronger but not quickly enough to last against the more powerful ninja. Even after all these years some still try to find what remains of the Uzumaki Clan,_ " Hiruzen had gotten reports from Jiraiya ad his Anbu that were sent on special missions to locate any of the remaining Uzumaki Clan members and bring them back to Konoha for sanctuary.

It was easier said than done, and at times some clan members they had a led on were either too elusive to find, their seals he didn't doubt helped them in this, or they were too late and their bodies were found mutilated by enemy factions to find out their secrets. As it was, Tsunade and Naruto were currently the only ones with Uzumaki blood left in them that was affiliated with Konoha. Hiruzen doubted there was any full-blooded Uzumaki left now.

But as much as wanted to protect the boy Hiruzen knew that short of binding and locking him up, Naruto wouldn't give up on learning something or become a ninja, " _The boy had inherited his mother's bull headed stubbornness and his father's never give up attitude._ " It was a dangerous combination in his mind. A though popped into Hiruzen's head however.

"While I admire your enthusiasm to learn a skill very few use, I'm afraid I'll have to say no at the moment. Before you interrupt," Hiruzen stopped the blond as soon as he saw signs of protest, "you must know that learning and using seals isn't as simple as it sounds, Naruto-kun," Hiruzen produced a blank scroll. "Write your name."

"Huh?"

"Write your name on this scroll, Naruto," Hiruzen gave the boy some ink and a paintbrush. Not seeing where this was going Naruto proceeded to do just that as quickly as he could and Hiruzen merely sighed. "This is what I am talking about, Naruto."

"What? What I do?" the boy asked.

"Fuinjutsu is as a powerful, complicated and deadly art. It requires a great amount of skill, concentration, dedication, imagination, and absolute precision."

"Precision? Isn't it just writing down symbols and stuff?" the boy got a smack in the head by Anko, "Ow!"

"Fuinjutsu is more than just writing symbols and stuff, gaki-baka!" Anko shook her head.

"Anko-chan is right, Naruto-kun, it's much more than merely writing symbol on a blank piece of paper. While I've seen much worse, the way you wrote your name is still very sloppy, I'm afraid. Fuinjutsu is a delicate art, a single mistake be it an out of place character, stroke of the ink, or incompatible symbols can have disastrous effects. I've seen what happens to inexperienced individuals who meddle in fuinjutsu only for it to greatly backfire on them. The most occurring theme is them being killed or crippled, or this happening to those around them. I once saw a man try to seal a weapon within his arm, his lack of knowledge and inexperience in fuinjutsu forced him to give up being a ninja and ruined his life," the man still shuddered at the memory. "While it's possible if done properly you can use your imagination if the opposite occurs."

Naruto was slightly pale at the prospect.

"As it now Naruto I can't allow you to learn fuinjutsu. Once your calligraphy is at a very acceptable level, and you're able focus and not merely rush and get it over and done with I will consider it. Until then you're forbidden from learning it," Naruto knew whenever Jiji used his absolute authority voice there was no going around it.

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Calligraphy 101!**

 **Main Quest: Learn and master the skill Basic Calligraphy!**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Main Quest Completion: +500 REP with Sarutobi Hiruzen, +1100 EXP, Unlock Fuinjutsu Skill, ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?, ?**

 **Accept? (Yes/No)**

* * *

"Ok, Jiji," Naruto knew better to argue at this point with the old man.

"Very good," Hiruzen released a sigh of relief. He hadn't wanted to do this but it was for Naruto's own good. He wouldn't deny Naruto using fuinjutsu but he needed the boy to be stronger and in a better mindset before he allowed him to take a shot at it. Naruto wasn't like his father where he could learn, master, and sometimes even improve a skill and make it look like childsplay. Nor did he have Kushina's raw talent in calligraphy, a fact that shocked many who knew the tomboy. Naruto had to start at the bottom and work his way up.

"On another note I have a little proposition for you two," Hiruzen began, "Anko how would you like to take Naruto on as a student?"

"…Huh!?" was their only intelligent response.

"Think of it as an experiment of sorts," Hiruzen elaborated, "You Naruto are in need of a tune up, and while I have faith in you having a someone of Anko's skill help you along the way will help get you results."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Anko asked her leader.

"Come now, Anko. Do you think me blind? I've seen and heard how you associate with Naruto-kun. You obviously care for him and you've gone out of your way to train and give him advice," he smirked knowingly.

"Jiji have you been using your crystal ball again?" Naruto asked.

"His crystal what?" Anko asked in confusion.

"Nothing," he shot Naruto a look that was both pleading and threatening, "Just an old trick I showed him when he was younger, that's all," the man thanked kami that he made Orochimaru or Jiraiya swear not to tell anyone when he found out.

"Back to the topic at hand, you two, Anko's methods are unorthodox and unique to say the least," the man deadpanned when she said, "Damn proud of it," and Naruto did the same thing as him, "However, from what I've seen based on your academic reports, Naruto, and from what Anko told me, both unorthodox and kinaesthetic learning methods actually seem to get better results."

"Kinaesthwaht?" Naruto asked.

"It means you learn better by doing things than by reading them, gaki," Anko told him. "In other words you have a hell of an easier time physically practicing a technique when showed to you than by learning the theory of it and not being showed."

"Oh, I get it," Naruto understood.

"This is also another reason why I want you teaching him, Anko. You're able to make a lesson or teach Naruto in ways he can actually understand."

"I don't know, Hokage-sama. I mean sure I taught the gaki a few things but nothing serious. I mean if I didn't do anything the gaki would most likely get his ass handed to him on a silver platter when he goes up against other ninja. No offense, gaki," Anko said.

"None taken," Naruto groused but mentally thought, " _Up yours!_ "

"Besides I'm part of Konoha's T&I Division. I get a bonus depending on lockup I manage to crack," because of the low amount of members in some divisions such as T&I the Hokage had created an incentive for those to join this divisions such as base salary and depending on the information found a bonus. The salary wasn't as high as those who did field work mission, nowhere near, but it offered a great deal of safety and was very low risk. Any one could be a ninja, but even then not everyone was cut out for fieldwork.

"You'll still be able to do that, Anko. But if you do this you'll also receive a biweekly salary of seventy thousand ryo for twelve weeks before the graduation ceremony begins in January if you do this," Hiruzen decided to sweeten the offer.

"Deal!" Anko for that amount of cash the woman didn't hesitate to agree and both she and Naruto signed the contract that Hiruzen took out.

"Wait you said the graduation ceremony's in January, Jiji?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"Yes?" unlike the previous five years where the term lasted ten months, the final year was only five as there wasn't much left to teach students in terms of schooling. The final two years generally speaking were mostly used to up the academy students physical and weapon capabilities, though a great emphasis on in class studies was still needed. Things such as previous strategies used, what to expect to happen when in another country, etc.

"But that means-" Naruto stopped cold as a hand landed on his shoulder and a he felt a great chill go up his spine.

"It means, gaki, that you and I have three months of non stop fun time together," her oh-so familiar sadistic and pain inducing grin appeared. Even Hiruzen had to admit he was slightly unnerved by the look.

"Is it too late to reconsider this?" Naruto squeaked out as he felt himself being dragged by the cuff of his clothes.

"That ship sailed and sank into the abyss, gaki. From this day forth, welcome to Anko's Training From Hell," she cackled as she left the office.

"Arf," Hottomaru released a sigh of relief.

"Oops, almost forgot," Anko popped back in and Hottomaru found himself wrapped around Midori's coils. "Thought you were exempt from this didn't you, poochy."

The grinning sadist merely got a whimper from the small creature, an action that was mimicked and shared by his owner.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Hiruzen was starting to have second doubts. At worst the woman would break the boy and he'd be left a complete mess, at best he'd become much more competent ninja. As he began going back to work another thought occurred, " _What if she turns him into a miniature version of herself,_ " one Anko was bad enough, another Anko with untold potential inside him.

" _Oh, kami, what have I done,_ " the man had no idea what potential hell on earth he may have just created.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: The Fruit of Ones Labours**

"And that's it for today. Have a nice weekend everyone," Iruka's voice was drowned out by the cheering of loud and excited students who started to leave the room as quickly as possible. " _Enjoy your free weekends while they last,_ " the moment they became ninja they'd be working almost all week. Genin had it easier as they mostly did D-rank missions for the first few months and depending on the Jonin instructor the weekends were sometimes left untouched and used for down time. When a Genin started doing C-Rank missions or was promoted to the rank of Chunin however weekends often became workdays.

"Yatta, lets go, Hottomaru," Naruto and his ninken began to speed out of the classroom only for both to be suddenly grabbed, "You two aren't going anywhere."

"Ah, man, on a Friday?" Naruto whined, not bothering to look behind him. He was used to it by now.

"Quit your bitchin, gaki," Anko chided, "Time waits for no ninja," and proceeded to Shunshin the two out of the classroom.

" _Part of me feels bad he's being trained by Anko while another part can't argue with the results,_ " the academy instructor didn't care much for Anko's methods, from what he heard about them, but slowly Naruto's scores were getting better. As it was the boy wasn't Dead Last anymore, still one of the lower tier students, and if all went well the boy could probably be ranked among the middle ranked ones before graduation. In terms of theory such as history, math, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu theory the boy still had low scores but had only failed once. It wasn't the greatest but it was a major improvement compared to how it used to be.

Said improvement hadn't gone unnoticed by just him either as some in the class began to notice, too. In terms of practical academics Naruto was close to being considering one of the top middle students when it came to taijutsu. He was much better at shuriken and kunaijutsu and could now hit the bulls eye when it came to stationary targets and while not the best he was one of the better students when it came to hitting moving targets. Many of the students had said he cheated or it was dumb luck but Iruka knew that he had getter better and they were simply bitter that the Dead Last of all people was now better than them.

" _And it's thanks to Anko of all people,_ " the man didn't know Anko personally, merely by reputation, and he had been shocked when Naruto told him she was tutoring him after class. At first he thought it to be one of his pranks. A bad prank on his part but a prank still. When he had been proven wrong Iruka didn't know how to feel for him.

Him having Hottomaru had come as a shock as Iruka was one of the better informed about most of the clans in Konoha. Naruto hadn't told them exactly what he did but Iruka surmised it had to have been pretty important for them to have given him one of their ninken. Though on more than one occasion he had to stop Akamaru and Hottomaru fighting, both were much like their partners and trying to prove who was better.

" _Whatever you're doing, Anko, keep doing it,"_ Iruka had a personal interest in the welfare of all his students. The first time he had tried to see what of training the woman was putting him through he ended up being chased by a very large constrictor. The man had taken the hint and decided that whatever they were doing was confidential.

* * *

(A Few Hours Later)

"Gaki's getting better," Anko surveyed her hidden ward. The boy was a little over the three minute marker of **Snake and Mouse**. Maybe this time he'd get to four minutes.

" **Found you!"**

" _Or not,"_ the boy had been found once more.

"Ahhhhhh!" a fleeing Naruto screamed as he and Hottomaru tried their best to evade a large, though not as big as her giant self, Midori.

Almost three weeks had passed since Anko had become Naruto's tutor, and Anko could honestly say she quite enjoyed teaching the blond jinchuriki. It was a simple routine they had. Naruto would go to school in the day and when she wasn't busy she would meet up with him three or four nights a week. Weekends they had agreed to be down time and no teaching was to be done during that period. It didn't mean that he was to slack off though but he could take things easier.

Their training varied. Some nights like tonight they would work on his stealth and physical conditioning, other nights they would work on chakra control and his ninjutsu, When it came to see if Naruto was doing well with the theory and textbook portions of the academy, something neither cared for, Anko would suddenly ask him a question out of the blue that would need to be answered both correctly and within a certain amount of time or else he'd get a penalty.

It went without saying that on the first week the boy had gotten mostly penalties. He was getting better, but it would still take a few more weeks, perhaps a little over a month before much better results were shown. The boy did better when physically doing things than theory after all.

"Scatter!" Naruto ordered and both he and Hottomaru went off in separate directions in the hopes that Midori would go after the other.

Anko woman cackled as she watched Midori chase after Hottomaru. Naruto was easily much faster than the young pup and while Hottomaru was from a breed that was known for great stamina, something Naruto told her, the pup could only last for so long before he was caught by the green constrictor. Originally when they both did this Naruto had saved Hottomaru but only ended up being caught himself. Though noble it was a stupid move.

The training was simple. Hide and evade from Midori as long as possible and use whatever method possible to not get caught. It was basically the same training she had done with him a couple of weeks ago.

Though there were a few changes to the quest now, one being the EXP and REP gain had lowered due to repetition and his level, and the second was Midori being more careful around Naruto. As it was the boy had only managed to last four minutes three times now, had gotten passed the four and a half marker once, and failed the other times, effectively only earning about 1100 EXP from the **Snake and Mouse (Beginners)** daily quests they had done.

The boy had done much better with **Anko's Tort-Training (Beginners)** but like the other daily quest the EXP and REP gain had gone down and Naruto now only a small amount of EXP for completing the total three hours, giving him a total of 2100 EXP for doing them. As it was Anko was going to have to increase the difficulty for that training, the boy was making it look easy now.

" _At least it it caused him to level up and brought up some of his other skills,_ " Anko thought, the action giving a very good boost in stats.

Though Anko would admit that even for a ninja, someone who used every dirty trick in the book and then some to win, Naruto's ability was unfair. It allowed him to learn skills and increase his stats in weeks or days in what it would take others months or years unless you were very gifted.

Naruto's original plans to go into the Zombie Dungeon to level up and increase his stats had been put on hold under Anko's orders. The woman stated that she wouldn't allow Naruto to go into any dungeons until he brought up his skills and levelled them up, not the other way around. Going into a dungeon to increase new skills was fine, if they were much lower than you, when it was close to even and they had multiple hordes it was pretty much bringing trouble to oneself. Plus the boy had yet to face the boss of that dungeon.

The woman had done this for two reasons. The boy needed a very good grasp and understanding of the basics, she herself didn't care much for them either but it would allow him to also use the more advanced stuff in the future and some like **Kawarimi** were dead useful in combat.

The other was because the next time Naruto went in the Zombie Dungeon neither she nor Midori would be going with him or Hottomaru. The boy was being trained to be a ninja and that meant he couldn't be coddled or always rely on the help of others.

Luckily it was now the case and the boy was now allowed to go into the dungeons once more to grind and get some goodies, Naruto had whined about not going into them but when she stated he had a tough time dealing with boars and how it wasn't going to be any better in the higher level dungeons he relented, albeit reluctantly. The increase in skills and levels would make it not only easier but his chances of survival would be better too. So far he only lasted through quick thinking and luck, which could only take you so far before it ran out.

To prepare him for that Anko had done what she thought was natural. Assess what he was currently lacking. In this case his piss poor chakra control and his taijutsu. The boy also had various skills but at the moment they were all over the place in terms of level. While having a bunch of skills was good because it made one unpredictable, it also meant one was wasting time learning skills he didn't need. Luckily the skills he had were still useable, they just needed a bit of refinement.

To rectify his chakra control problem Anko had Naruto place all of his Attribute Points he had earned into his WIS to not only better control his chakra but also increase his mental faculties in terms of memory and ability to learn theory. As of six days ago the boy had mastered the **Leaf Concentration Practice Method Skill** and she had recently started teaching him the **Tree Climbing Practice Skill.** It was a very slow process with him when it came to chakra control, especially when the levels kept going up.

His Basic Academy Taijutsu luckily for both of them had been mastered last week and he was now learning the **Intermediate Academy Taijutsu.** Anko had been downright pissed to learn that Naruto needed to master the **Advanced Academy Taijutsu** in order to learn a different Taijutsu style, and that those who were from Taijutsu specializing clans such as the Hyuga and Inuzuka for example didn't need to.

" _I said it once, I'll say it again: this is a weird as hell ability,_ " the woman looked up from her thoughts to see Naruto had finally been caught by Midori. "Nice, gaki. Another second and you'd have lasted four and a half minutes this time."

"Ah, damn it!" on one hand Naruto was happy he didn't fail, on the other hand he was pissed for not having gone passed the four and half minutes. Midori had brought her game up compared to the first time he did this and she had threatened Naruto in a very painful manner if he used those **Chilly Pepper Bombs** on her again. " _Crybaby. She said anything went for crying out loud._ "

"Oh, stop complaining, gaki. It's TGIF night!" Anko cheered but got a blank look from Naruto. "Thank God It's Friday?" she elaborated and hoped to god he was merely having a slow moment.

"Oh, right. Brain fart," an embarrassed Naruto said much to her relief. Between class and Anko's training Naruto had been running ragged for the last little while and it often left him both physically and mentally drained but it was worth it, " **Status Window."**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Level: 8 Next Level: 2480/5400**

 **Title: Academy Student**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: (366/1600)**

 **CP: (498/2625)**

 **STR: 42.5**

 **VIT: 43**

 **DEX: 53**

 **INT: 81**

 **WIS: 38.5**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 30**

 **Perks:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards

Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards reputation gain

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP towards Chakra Control

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards reputation gain, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Beginner Zombie Slayer:** 30% increase attack and defense against Undead, +5 stats when facing Undead, +10% additional drops and Exp from Undead

 **Status Effects:**

 **Malnourished:** Hampered physical growth rate, -25% to VIT, DEX, and STR stat base, +20% vulnerability to poisons

 **Description:** Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently an academy student with inspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. At the moment, Naruto is considered by many as a shoe in for the title of **Dead Last.**

 **Money** : 41940 Ryo ~ (4194$)

 **Attribute Points: 0**

* * *

Naruto smirked as he saw his stats, they were much better thanks to Anko's hellish but result showing training. Anko was a slave driver and the things she had him do was nothing compared to the academy one.

Naruto had paled when she told him the training methods during the Era of Warring States and during Konoha's founding made hers look like childsplay, even then she was sugar coating it. He was getting used to it and the recent level up and stats increase meant he did better than when he started. "So what now?"

"Easy we relax, we go out, we get drunk, get a hangover… oh, right you can't do that yet," Anko remembered. "Meh, when you get your headband you're getting your first drink on me, gaki," the moment they got it they were considered adults in the eyes of others and the laws of Hi no Kuni, though many still didn't drink till they were much older.

Naruto didn't know if he actually wanted to drink considering how he saw people act and how they felt the next morning after having too much but he saw no harm in trying it at least once.

But it left him to wonder what he was going to do for the rest of the day. On the off days where Anko couldn't teach him, she still had other duties after all, Naruto had been told to practice both his **Basic Cooking Skill** , his **Calligraphy Skill**. " **Skill List Window, Show Most Recently Levelled Up."**

* * *

 **Skill List Window (Most Recently Levelled Up)**

 **Passive Skills**

 **Basic Blunt Weapons Mastery.** Lv. 9 Next Lv 1433/2000. A skill that allows the user to freely handle blunt weapons.

* Passively increases the power of blunt weapons by 26%

* Passively increases the striking speed of blunt weapons by 13%

* Passively increases the critical hit rate of blunt weapons by 13%

* * *

 **Basic Bladed Weapons Mastery.** Lv4. Next Lv 268/400. A skill that allows the user to freely handle bladed weapons.

* Passively increases the power of bladed weapons by 16%

* Passively increases the striking speed of bladed weapons by 8%

* Passively increases the critical hit rate of bladed weapons by 8%

* * *

 **Body Conditioning** Lv9. Next Lv 231/2000. A passive skill in which the user trains their body to enhance both bodily function and physical capabilities.

 **Note:** This skill can be lost if the user does not take proper care of themselves, either by lack of training or improper diet, or if they have certain negative status effects.

* Promotes healthy growth rate

* Increases tolerance to illnesses and poisons by 9%

* Increases moving speed by 9%

* Passively grants +13 STR

* Passively grants +13 DEX

* * *

 **Detection Skill:** Lv7. Next Lv 341/1150. A skill that will allow the user to detect and find others, be they person or creature, in the nearby vicinity.

* Can sense others from 60 meters away.

* +17% Resistance against Stealth Attacks

* * *

 **Passive/Active Skills**

 **Tree Walking Practice: Lv. 3 Next Lv. (27.8%)** : A more advanced form of basic chakra control. This skill allows the user to better control their chakra and allows them to climb up surfaces using only there feet. Requires good control as too much will blow the person off a surface and too little will make them fall.

* Can walk up 4/10 of a tree

* Passively increases your WIS by 10%

* 5% less chakra wasted on techniques

* * *

 **Intermediate Academy Taijutsu:** Lv4. Next Lv. 147/400. A slightly more advanced form of basic martial arts that teaches one how to kick and punch properly and allows for more accurate and precise strikes.

* Passively grants +7.5 Strength

* Increases STR by 7.5% during combat

* * *

 **Active Skills**

 **Katon: Hidama** (Fire Release: Fireball): D-Rank. Lv. 9 Next Lv. 498/2000.

 **CP Usage: 26.5 (Fire Affinity).** This technique creates a small fireball that can both burn flesh and conceal shuriken. Though basic and more or less used to make campfires this technique is a great stepping stone for learning more complicated Katon Ninjutsu.

* Can create three fireballs

* Does 34-46 damage

* Chances of burning is 29%

* * *

 **Katon: Enso Kaenjin no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Circle Flame Formation Technique): C-Rank. Lv. 3 Next Lv. 96/250. **CP Usage: 42 (Fire Affinity) per 30 seconds.** This technique creates a ring of fire that encircles the user. One of the few defensive fire release techniques that are known this technique is difficult to maintain control over the flames, thus making it capable of harming the user if not performed properly.

* Currently Provides defensive wall of flames 4.5 feet high

* Does 40-54 damage to those touched by flames

* Chances of burning is 24%

* * *

 **Fūton: Reppūshō** (Wind Release: Gale Palm): C-Rank. Lv. 8 Next Lv. 1129/1550.

 **CP Usage: 30.2 (Wind Affinity)** A simple technique that when the user's hands are clapped together, wind is compressed and transformed into a powerful gale that can easily knock over a human. The true value comes from using it together with projectile weapons like shuriken, increasing their speed, power, and ability to wound or even kill are all increased several times.

* Shuriken speed and damage increased by 34%

* Chances of knocking others down is 48%

* Does 4 damage to opponent

* * *

 **Basic Calligraphy:** Lv. 7Next Lv. 769/1150. A basic and non-combative technique that improves one's penmanship and their artistic side. Allows for better drawn pictures, written kanji and designs.

* Penmanship improved by 17%

* Writing speed increased by 17%

* 17% chance of having no faults in characters drawn

* * *

 **Basic Cooking:** Lv 9. Next Lv 572/2000. The ability on how to cook meals and how good it turns out. Current level only allows you to make simple meals such as instant ramen, boiled rice, eggs, etc. **Hint** : Some meals can only be made when using a recipe or having watched someone teach you how to cook it.

* Increases cooking speed by 19% (instant meals aren't affected)

* Increases the success of creating a new basic level dish by 26%

* Increases how well the meal taste by 9% (instant meals aren't affected)

* * *

 **Kawarimi** (Body Replacement): Lv MAX. A basic but useful technique nonetheless that allows the user to avoid harm by replacing themselves with other objects. **CP usage depends on substitute object size, range, and chakra.**

* Increases evasion by 30% for 15 sec when activated.

* Increases speed by 30% for 15 sec when activated.

* Capable of becoming undetectable by others within 10 levels for certain amount of time.

* * *

 **Henge** (Transformation): Lv MAX. A basic technique that allows one to transform themselves into other objects; will fool most except those with keen senses and with high level Detection skill. **15 CP usage per minute.**

* Increases infiltration by 30% when active.

* Increases avoidance/un-detectability by 30% when active.

* 90% chance of fooling civilians and non-ninja enemies

* Chances of fooling ninja varies

* * *

Naruto smirked as he saw his levelled up skills, though Anko had gone and busted his balls and said that most academy ninja near graduation should already have had skills at that level of proficiency and then some. But he was grateful nonetheless for her help, " _Still crazy and scary as hell though,_ " he shivered. The boy and Hottomaru had a very healthy amount of fear for Anko, the woman had even tried to see how he'd react to interrogation as a test.

Anko had gone easy and he didn't do as bad as she thought he would, mostly because of his stubbornness, but either way Naruto never wanted to be caught by field based interrogators like Anko any time soon and had passed on any more interrogation training. Not his style, he preferred the tracking and bringing em down method or up close and personal style.

"Ah, almost forgot. You're going into the Zombie Dungeon tomorrow right?"

"Duh?" he'd been storing some of the food he made for that exact purpose, till he found more of those **First Aid** items. Naruto had been wanting to go into a dungeon for quite some time and was eager to give those zombies some payback, and get quite a bit of cash and items out of it too. He was also eager to see how he'd do in the natural dungeons now. Even though he had wanted to go in them the training and school often left Naruto drained and his chakra reserves were too low by the end of it. He wasn't stupid to go into a dungeon where he'd be easy picking because of that.

"What type of zombies are in there at the moment?" it had been a while since both had gone in.

"Civilian, Mob, and Ninja, and those damn cats," a dark look crossed his face at the memory and Hottomaru growled as he heard the word cat.

Anko wasn't surprised he remembered considering how obsessed he was about going back in. The boy would not shut up about for the first week before she made him stop, "Good, then here's a test to see how good you've gotten, I want you to kill 50 Civilian Zombies, 50 Mob Zombies, and 25 Ninja Zombies. And if you come across the boss of that place bring me proof."

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Die Zombies, Die!**

 **Main Quest: Kill 50 Civilian Zombies, 50 Mob Zombies, and 25 Ninja Zombie**

 **Side Quest: Kill Zombie Boss and bring proof of its defeat**

 **Main Quest Completion: 600 EXP, +150 REP with Anko**

 **Side Quest Completion: 500 EXP, +200 REP with Anko**

 **Accept (Yes/No)**

* * *

"No sweat," was his confident response.

"Well then, I'm off, gaki. Don't forget I'm leaving Konoha on Monday so you're on your own till Wednesday. But if I find out you've been slacking," her grin was all she needed to get her point across.

"No slacking off, got ya," the sweating boy gave her a thumb's up before she used the Body Flicker to leave the training field. Naruto found it a tad weird that he could still enter a training field without it turning into a dungeon. Made things easier, but it was still weird.

"Ok, **Time** ," another neat little feature he discovered, "Hmm, a little after 7:40," he noted. Though it was almost November Hi no Kuni had relatively short winters, lasting less than two months, sometimes it was three, so unlike most of the countries where it would get dark at around five and six pm Konoha didn't.

As such it was still decently bright out despite the current hour. Glancing at his CP and HP Naruto confirmed that he wouldn't be able to go into the Zombie Dungeon tonight if he wanted with how low they were, and Naruto needed to do one more thing before they did. Using the food he made to recover them would be counter productive as he would need to use a great deal to recover them.

"You feel ready for tomorrow, Hotto?" Naruto looked at his companion and muttered **Observe.**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Job: Ninken (Ninja Dog)**

 **Level: 6 Next Level: 19/3600**

 **Reputation: Neutral (820/1000)**

 **Title: Naruto's Partner**

 **Specialization: Battle Pet**

 **Ninken Category: Hybrid "Guard and Tracking"**

 **HP: (78/300)**

 **CP: (63/250)**

 **STR: 9**

 **VIT: 12**

 **DEX: 23**

 **INT: 10**

 **WIS: 7**

 **LUK: 16**

 **Defense: 0**

 **Perks:**

 **Ninja Dog:** Human Lifespan, Ability to Mold Chakra, Potential to speak human language

 **Komainu Lineage (Guard Dog):** +1 VIT, +1 STR per Lv, +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Biting Techniques, -20% Effectiveness and EXP towards Training and Reputation, "?"

 **Akita Lineage (Tracking Dog):** +2 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Tracking Skill, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Stealth, +10% towards Movement Speed during and outside combat

 **Keen-Senses:** +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odors

 **Special Perk**

 **Gamer's Combat Pet:** A special perk that allows any of your combat pets the ability **Gamer's Body** , though they only earn a small amount of Attribute Points per level that you can allocate. However, this can be lost if you decide you don't want a certain pet or if your pet abandons you.

 **Description: A two year old ninja dog with Komainu blood in his veins. While possessing great potential like his cousin Akamaru, Hottomaru like most Komainu pups require a good amount of discipline and can be difficult to train but are fiercely loyal and protective of their owners and partners.**

 **Attribute Points: 6**

* * *

"That special perk makes things easier," with it Naruto wouldn't need to constantly invite Hottomaru as it allowed him to level up on his own. "Speaking of which," he wondered where he should allocate Hottomaru's SP. In the end, Naruto decide to allocate them to his STR and VIT to give him an edge tomorrow.

"?" the puppy merely tilted his head at the strange technique he had and whatever he was talking about.

"Oh, right you don't know what I'm talking about, "Naruto chuckled. "Well, you'll find out tomorrow," the thought of the quest got the boy thinking.

Normally killing that many foes would increase his level by two or three but due to his level being much higher than the zombies at the moment, and the fact that he had Hottomaru, the amount of EXP he'd get from killing them would be very low for him. Naruto had actually discovered a useful tool known as the **Bestiary** which would list all of those he used **Observe** on along with those he'd fight and defeat.

The tool showed what the creatures would drop, their weakness, and the amount of EXP he'd get from defeating them. At the moment, even with his **Beginner Zombie Slayer** perk, the zombies were in the lower double digits. The **Civilian Zombies** would now only give him 11 EXP, the **Mob** 19 and the **Ninja** 27, Hottomaru would get a little higher amount of EXP. With Hottomaru and his levelled skills and decent equipment, Naruto had no doubt this would not really pose that much of a challenge.

He was more or less farming during this whole thing, " _Eh, who cares. Money is money and the amount I'm killing will still bring me up a level. Anko doesn't need to know it won't be that hard,_ " he mentally cackled and thanked her lack of knowledge on video games.

Plus with his fire ninjutsu the zombies would not stand a chance against him. He still lacked in defensive ninjutsu, and later found out from Anko that while Futon, Raiton, and Katon had great offensive techniques they sorely lacked in defensive ones. Suiton and Doton were a very good mix of defense and offense out of all five primary elements and the boy didn't have an affinity or time to learn them at the moment.

Naruto found it ironic that the new scroll he had gotten had been a defensive one, though it was difficult to maintain at times and like most of the other skills it didn't level up much outside of combat, "With the stuff I want from the Auction House being so expensive at the moment I guess I'll have to rely boss and enemy drops at the moment."

"Arf!" Hottomaru had no idea what Naruto meant when he said dungeons but agreed. Naruto had shown Hottomaru his Gamer ability a couple of weeks ago, who was the dog going to tell, but the young ninken hadn't thought much of it. Naruto had the impression the pup thought it was merely a weird bloodline thing he had that also affected him. So long as it didn't hurt him Hottomaru wasn't gonna complain he supposed.

Training with the ninken had proved to be an interesting experience, though frustrating at times it was interesting nonetheless. Trying to coordinate their attacks and techniques during mock combat had not been easy in the slightest. More than once did they end up accidentally smacking into each other, often leading to a fight between the two that usually ended with Hottomaru biting Naruto's leg and him trying to shake the little pup off.

As it was the boy had a **Neutral** level reputation and the pup still had a habit of not listening to Naruto at times, Anko calling him Pooch-gaki, much to both their annoyance, the two got along well enough though despite their on and off bouts.

The boy had found out by pure accident during one of the mock battles, to which a popup window called **Mock Battles** / **Friendly Spars** showed up when it occurred, with Akamaru and Hottomaru that if ones HP or CP reached zero or if their fatigue reached its maximum threshold during mock battles and training they would only be rendered unconscious instead of dying. Naruto had counted his lucky stars, the boy didn't feel like telling Kiba that his ninken had died.

In real life or death situations or battles in dungeons however it meant death if all ones HP was gone, pure and simple. The loss of all ones CP however resulted in the status effect **Extreme Chakra Exhaustion** , which could potentially be lethal depending on the situation.

A couple of weeks ago during one of these bouts Hottomaru had managed to perform the Tsuga, though Kiba at the time said the pup had a while before it was effective. The stripped ninken had gone and overdone it the first few and had tired himself out. Despite his inexperience with the technique Kiba had told him most pups his age were only able to pull it off once, maybe twice, on their first try before it became too much. From the look in his eye Naruto guessed something went off in Kiba. Most likely he didn't want to be outdone by Naruto and a ninken who wouldn't be learning clan techniques.

Most pups needed a special Inuzuka Clan Military Rations Pill to restore, reduce the rate in which chakra was lost, and give them a boost of chakra at the same time. Naruto would have loved to have some for Hottomaru but the damn pills were a clan only item and the recipe and process in making them was highly coveted despite having a Friendly level relationship with the clan head and several others.

Which meant both Naruto and Hottomaru were on their own and would have to come up with techniques for Hottomaru on the basis of trial and error. It was easier said than done.

"Might as well go to Tetsu's then to Ichiraku's before we head home," Hottomaru merely whined, the ninken didn't care for ramen all that much and preferred meat. Naruto had cut back on ramen quite a bit and the times he did visit the Ichiraku stand he ate less than usual. Teuchi jokingly saying that he was going to run him out of business for not eating as much as he used to. Though Naruto felt bad he wanted to get rid of his **Malnourished** status effect.

"Ah, fine we'll go to Yakiniku Q instead," the grill it yourself restaurant was Hottomaru's favourite place to eat, only outdone by Chouji. It wasn't that bad in his mind but he still preferred Ichiraku Ramen. "But next time we're going to Ichiraku!"

 **Your reputation with Hottomaru has increased by 50.**

Hottomaru merely yipped happily and headed off towards Tetsu's as fast as he could. Though much quicker than what he used to be, the ninken wasn't as fast as Naruto and the Gamer was able to keep up with his companion. After a brisk five minute run, to which Naruto was forced to carry Hottomaru when the **Fatigue** status effect showed up, both ninken and ninja arrived at Higurashi's Shinobi Arms.

"Welcome to Higurashi's Shinobi Arms. How can I help?" a voice he didn't recognize asked him.

"Huh? Who are you?" he asked.

"Ah, here for your order eh, kid. Good timing, we were almost ready to close up shop for the day," Tetsu appeared from behind her. "See you've met my Ten-chan," the man had to duck as a kunai whizzed by his head.

"Damn it, missed," she cursed.

"You're his daughter?" Naruto had no idea how someone like Tetsu, a mountain of a mine could have such a small offspring.

"I get that a lot," Tenten muttered and gave him a look over, "Academy student, right?"

"How'd you know?"

"No headband," she pointed to his lack of metal headpiece, "and you're covered in cuts from shuriken and kunai and bruises from punches. Only a ninja in training or a ninja would have them on them… unless you like being someone's punching bag," she smirked.

"Funny," he deadpanned. "How long you've been a Genin?"

"A few months," Tenten shrugged. "Pretty boring at the moment, nothing but D-Rank missions and training. Oh, god so much training," her head hit the countertop. Training was good and all but the insane man that was her sensei more or less took it too far most of the time and then there was the D-Rank missions. "I don't envy you newbies when you start doing D-Rank."

"Why?" he hesitated to ask.

"When it happens you'll know," her tone of voice left much to be desired.

"Ah, cheer up, Ten-chan," Tetsu dodged two kunai this time, "At least Gai deemed your team ready to take on C-Rank missions."

"Yeah, escorting civilians from here to somewhere else, real fun," sure there was the prospect of encountering bandits but with a powerful Taijutsu virtuoso, his mini-me, a Hyuga prodigy and her ranged proficiency it wasn't going to be that exciting.

Escorting civilians was one of the worst C-Rank there was due to being forced to go at a slow pace. When he was younger, Gai told them he once carried a client and ran off at top speed to get it finished earlier. He succeeded but the client had connections with some of the influential nobles of Hi no Kuni and almost cost Konoha quite a bit of clientele had the Sandaime not managed to placate them.

"Eh… right," Tetsu didn't have fond memories of such missions either, "Well, here's your order, kid."

"Thanks," Naruto grinned as he saw the piece of armour.

 **Leather Armor (Ninken) - Uncommon Quality**

 **Armor**

 **Durability: 35/35**

 **Leather body armor made from the hides of wild boars. Custom made to be used by ninken and the thick leather used for its creation offers a very good amount of protection from fists and basic weaponry such as kunai and shuriken. A Minor Density Seal is etched into the fabric making it stronger, however a trade off for the extra protection makes it a tad heavier.**

 **Defence: 10+(5) = 5**

 **Bonus Stats: Minor Density Seal (+10 Defense, +1 VIT, -10% Movement Speed)**

The order of this had cost a pretty ryo, close to five thousand really, but Naruto hadn't cared all that much nor did he care about the sacrifice in speed for defence, it wasn't that bad. The boy cared more about making sure Hottomaru didn't get badly injured due to lack of defence. Normally ninken went without body armour as it impeded their movement but it wasn't uncommon to see some wearing it.

Naruto was just happy that selling the remaining **Boar Hides** and **Thick Boar Hides** he had with the Abyss Auction House had gone for a decent amount. The boy had made close to four thousand ryo in profit after the middle man took their fifteen percent cut. " _Still have no idea what the Zombie Ribs are useful for,_ " Naruto was contemplating just throwing them away.

"Ok, boy, here you go," Naruto strapped the black leather armour to Hottomaru, "Hey, not bad."

Hottomaru however merely sniffed at the armour he wore with intrigued. Naruto knew it was a tad heavy but once he levelled up the ninken pup's increase in STR it wouldn't bother him any more. "Trust me you'll thank me later."

Saying their goodbyes to Tetsu and Tenten both Naruto and Hottomaru made their way out of the closing store and headed towards Yakiniku Q. Hottomaru running as fast there as fast as he could despite the added weight he wore.

(Next Day, 8:12 AM)

Waking up after a good night's rest with both CP and HP restored for Naruto and Hottomaru, the blond proceeded to do his morning ritual. "Gotta love this ability," it made things easier as Hotto would be ready and fully recovered as next day thanks to his **Special Perk.**

After making a decent breakfast, Naruto realized that even with the new recipes he learned he'd have to upgrade his **Basic Cooking Skill** soon in order to learn better dishes that recovered more **HP** and **CP**. "I'll have to check with Ayame-neechan if she has anything that can help."

With the dishes cleaned quickly, thanks to a semi-useless skill he learned weeks ago, Naruto had a quick shower and then began putting on his gear. Several minutes later the prepared pre-teen along with Hottomaru proceeded towards the alleyway he originally used to enter the dungeon. Checking himself and Hottomaru over Naruto nodded, "All right everything looks good," it was now or never, "Get ready, Hotto. **Instant Dungeon Creation, Zombie Dungeon!** "

A bright flash enveloped both Naruto and Hottomaru and in the time it took them to blink they had appeared in the **Zombie Dungeon**.

"Arf!" a confused and slightly dazed Hottomaru barked at the sudden change of scenery. What was once a normal alleyway and sunny filled sky replaced by a dark looking place filled with foreign smells and objects that Hottomaru had never seen before. Looking at Naruto the blond merely put a comforting hand on the armoured ninken, "Don't worry, buddy. Stick with me and you'll be fine."

Taking out his Bo and twirling it around, while **Chichizouge** was the better weapon it wouldn't be wise to use it because of the zombies' tolerance to bladed weaponry despite his ability to now use it, Naruto grabbed his ninken and jumped to the rooftops.

Carefully navigating and keeping to the shadows as best they could, the two spotted an area with a decent amount of zombies, "Ok, Hotto, watch and learn."

While he was confident Hottomaru could handle himself Naruto didn't want to tell Tsume or Anko that Hottomaru was killed because he did properly teach the pup. The pup was a pain at times but he was his friend and companion still.

Looking around and using his **Detection Skill** in order to make sure none of those damned **Wailing Cats** were near, Naruto made his way towards the nearest ones and started things off with **Kagekoku** (Shadow Strike), which now allowed him to strike two foes at the same time if they were in close proximity to one another.

The technique coupled with his level, improved skills, his **Beginner Zombie Slayer** perk, and better equipment proved too much for the two undead foes and they both disappeared into a flash of light, "Huh, that was easy," he commented before spotting a few zombies making their way towards him, " **Katon: Hidama no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Fireball Technique)!"

Three small sized fireballs sailed through the air and impacted with the walking corpses, setting them alight and flailing their arms in the air in an attempt to put out the flames. Their actions proving fruitless and they soon became no more than ash.

Naruto then turned his attention to the other zombies and was about to attack them till he saw a drill like maneuverer soaring through the air and knocking several zombies to the ground or sending them flying, "Damn it, Hotto!" ever since the pup had gotten better at using **Tsuga** he had a habit of using it whenever he could.

"Ah, whatever," Naruto had wanted the impulsive pup to merely watch but by the looks of things had gotten tired and wanted some action. Putting it aside for now, Naruto went in and finished off the downed zombies with his Bo before proceeding to help his ninken with the other zombies. By the time he and Hottomaru were finished clearing the current area of zombies a total of thirty-nine zombies had been killed with neither Naruto or Hottomaru having lost any HP. A lot of cash had been collected from the fallen foes as well.

"Not bad," Naruto commented and Hottomaru yipped in agreement. As they prepared to leave Naruto spotted a familiar figure. "Hey, Hotto, look a cat."

Whipping his head around and seeing the black feline, Hottomaru began to growl and Naruto brandished his weapon and the now nervous looking feline, "Payback's a bitch, kitty," his grin threatening to split his face in two as they ran after the retreating cat.

 **A special-**

Naruto ignored the message and continued after the cat, "Here kitty, kitty, kitty," the action only enticed the feline to run even faster.

* * *

 **(Hokage's Office, 10:03 AM)**

Hiruzen muttered under his breath as he finished another pile of paperwork. Kami did he hate paperwork, and it was a Saturday for crying out loud! The man had originally thought the problem solved ages ago with Kage Bunshin and thought he'd be left with more free time, but it had been a bust. Clones were basically a carbon copy of the original, down to their very personality, unfortunately.

The clones were smart, if the original didn't want to do paperwork then the clones had no intention of the doing the same either, and unlike the real deal the clones would simply seize to exist on a whim and he'd be back to square one. _"Damn stupid things,_ " Hiruzen knew he was technically insulting himself but the man didn't care when it came to paperwork.

"Hokage-sama, Anko is here like you asked," Mariko informed over the intercom, "Though I must warn you she has a bit of headache."

" _Probably a hangover,_ " the man sighed. "Send her in."

Unlike his student Tsunade, whose tolerance and love of alcohol was as legendary as her terrible luck at gambling, Hiruzen was more of social and respectable drinker. The last time had a hangover, or could recall one, was when Team Tobirama had lost their sensei during the First Shinobi World War and they mourned the loss of the great man through drinking.

Coming into the room and closing the, which flashed briefly as the privacy seals activated, Anko walked as best she could to one of the chairs and sat done as slowly as she could, "Ughh," the woman groaned.

"Had fun last night, Anko-chan," Hiruzen smirked at her obvious discomfort.

"I'm never gonna drink again," she groaned some more.

" _That's a lie,_ " the man had lost count of the many times he heard that song and dance through the ninja grapevine. Getting up the man appeared at her side, placed his hands on her forehead for a good minute and then removed it. "Better?"

Though the pain was still there it was more dull than the explosive sensation she originally felt, "Gotta get you to teach me that," Hiruzen didn't doubt she wasn't joking. The technique was one of Tsunade's that he had learned, while not good as her it got the job done.

"Now then, Anko. Three weeks have passed since Naruto came under your care," Hiruzen began, "Aside from the reports I've seen from the academy that show obvious improvement. What's your opinion?"

"My opinion?" she thought for a brief moment before answering, "Gaki's no prodigy like the Uchiha. No siree! Takes him a while to grasp some things. But damn if that gaki ain't full of piss and vinegar. The kid's a sponge at times, always eager to learn new things and get results. Truth be told the gaki's better than I gave him credit for and I'm going to have to take it up a notch."

"Would you say he's Genin material?" Hiruzen asked.

"No doubt about it now," she confirmed, "His go big or go home attitude and stamina, plus my flawless training methods," here she smirked and Hiruzen felt somewhat sorry for Naruto, "made it so he caught up pretty quickly. That **Gamer** ability of his also plays a factor. Depending on what he sets out to do, what would take others long periods of time to accomplish would take him less. Again it depends though. In terms of power I wouldn't be surprised if by the time he graduates he's at Chunin level."

Hiruzen was honestly impressed. While it wasn't uncommon for some academy students to be at Chunin level in terms of power it was still wasn't a very common occurrence. Back during the early founding of Konoha it was a very common occurrence as many children had still gone through intensive training before the Era of Warring States came to an end.

While the academy back then was to teach children to be ninja, Hashirama had confessed it was more about trying to create better relationships with the clans through the younger and more influential generations. Old grudges just didn't disappear over night after all. Hiruzen himself was one of the few close to being a Jonin level academy graduate. It had been one of the reasons why Tobirama had picked him to be one of his genin.

It honestly made Hiruzen wonder, " _How far is Uzumaki Naruto able to go?_ "

* * *

 **(Zombie Dungeon)**

"Grrraaa!" Hottomaru growled as he bit a Civilian Zombie's leg, ignoring the taste of rotting flesh as best he could. The zombie merely tried to swipe at the ninken but was too slow as Hottomaru let go and tackled the leg instead.

The action causing the zombie to fall down on the ground with a thud, where Hottomaru began to rake at its back and bite at its neck. Though not as effective as it would be were the pup a member of the large feline family or an adult dog, it did the trick and the zombie soon turned into particles of light.

"Nice going, Hotto," the pup barked at Naruto's compliment, "But while you took your sweet time dealing with him I took care of those guys," he pointed towards the group particles of slain zombies.

"Arf!" Naruto had feeling he had been insulted but had no way to prove it. " _Kami I hope he learns how to speak my language._ "

Unlike the Inuzuka who could understand dog speech Naruto had no hope of it happening to him and prayed that Hottomaru learned how to speak like a human. At this point he was more or less guessing what Hottomaru was saying at times. "Anyway, good haul eh, boy?"

"Arf," Naruto knew the pup agreed with him and they proceeded to collect their spoils followed by Naruto then placing them into his **Inventory Box**. "Ok, lets see. **Quest Status**."

 **Civilian Zombies Slain (50/50)**

 **Mob Zombies Slain (38/50)**

 **Ninja Zombies Slain (11/25)**

 **Total Slain: 99**

"Huh, thought it be more than that," the boy shrugged. "Wanna take a quick break?" They'd been going at it for a little over an hour. Doing a combination of killing zombies and looking for loot in the buildings and while Naruto wasn't really tired Hottomaru didn't have his stamina yet. Naruto had found the armour he got for him to be a wise investment as a couple of time a few zombies got in some decent blows. But the pup had proven to be persistent.

"Arf!"

"Break it is," he and Hottomaru entered a building they recently emptied and found entered a room on the second floor with a window large enough for them to use as an escape route in the event a horde of zombies somehow managed to come in.

"Ah, this is the life," Naruto leaned back against the wall while Hottomaru was eating a few pieces of **Roasted Boar Meat**. Training with Anko was good and all but the moment he gained this ability and started doing dungeons he was hooked. The three weeks of not doing them had been torture and Naruto was getting his fix. The boy wondered what the other dungeons would have to offer him in terms of rewards and challenge.

Casting a quick glance at Hottomaru with **Observe** the boy was happy to see that he was close to levelling up. He'd have to allocate those **Attribute Points** when they got out. Looking at his own **Status Window** Naruto smirked when saw he wasn't too far off either and his **Beginner Zombie Slayer** had been upgraded to **Apprentice Zombie Slayer.**

"Doesn't get any better than this Hottomaru," he told his companion. With the amount of money and items they were finding, and with the Abyss Auction House's help, Naruto was feeling confident that they could probably own a small but decent house in a few months in everything went well. The apartment was great and all but small. A small house would offer them more space and better freedom.

"Ready to head back out?" the sooner they got back to killing zombies the sooner they came to finishing this quest and getting better stuff. Dusting himself off Naruto spotted a zombie walking aimlessly on the streets from his window. Using a quick Hidama on it that soon reduced it to ash Naruto was unprepared for the pop up window to appear.

 **Boss Battle Requirements now Complete!**

"Eh?" Naruto had no idea what to think of and was distracted when he saw quite a large amount of zombies amassing outside the building, "The hell?"

One by one the zombies began to pile up onto one another, and act that Naruto found strange before the bodies seemingly liquefied into a greyish matter that bubbled and churned.

As more zombies appeared and began liquefying, the mass grew bigger and bigger till it began to form a large bald humanoid head. Soon a pair of long grey arms were formed, followed by a torso and then legs until the mass of zombies disappeared and was replaced by a giant naked being that was as tall as the buildings.

"Oh, crap. **Observe,** "Naruto muttered on the being.

* * *

 **Boss: Legion Zombie– Lv. 20**

 **HP: 3500**

 **CP:**

 **STR: ?**

 **VIT: 120**

 **DEX: 10**

 **INT: 3**

 **WIS: 0**

 **LUK: 0 (You're dead, your luck sucks.)**

 **Defense: 30**

 **Perks:**

 **Undead:** Ignore pain, 50% less damage taken by sharp objects and taijutsu, LUK, WIS & CP are none existent, extremely low INT allows you to act only on instincts, 30% increased damage by blunt objects and fire and fire based techniques

 **Cannibal** : 9% HP Regen per 5 seconds outside of combat when eating own kind, 3% HP Regen per 5 seconds during combat when eating own kind.

 **Undead-Conglomerate:** Incredible body size and STR, + 500 HP, +25 Defense

 **Description: Whenever zombies of the dungeon feel threatened due to mass hunting they met at a nearby location in mass and merge into this unholy twenty five foot tall creature. The result is creating a conglomerate of hundreds of zombies hence the name "Legion". Unlike regular zombies this abomination has slight intelligence thanks to the collective minds of those used to "birth" it, but even then it's not that impressive. Its huge body grants it an enormous amount of strength and health, allowing it to smash buildings with relative ease, and crush its foes with minimum blows. However, its large intimating size is also its greatest weakness as it makes it an easy target to strike and it cannot move very fast.**

 **Exp Earn: 4000 EXP**

 **Drops: ?, ?, ?**

Though worried, both for his sake and Hottomaru's, the pup would have to sit this fight out. Naruto smirked at prospect of facing a challenging foe. "Bring it on."

* * *

 **Omake: How I Met Your Mother**

"Ah, fine we'll go to Yakiniku Q instead," the grill it yourself restaurant was Hottomaru's favourite place to eat, only outdone by Chouji. It wasn't that bad in his mind but he still preferred Ichiraku Ramen. "But next time we're going to Ichiraku!"

Naruto's eye began twitching as Hottomaru merely ignored him and ran towards his favourite eatery, " _Damn, stubborn mutt._ " Looks like they'd be hitting Tetsu's place tomorrow instead. As he rounded the corner to catch up with his ninken Naruto had little time to react before he crashed into someone.

"Aghh!"

"Eeep!"

Both Naruto and the person he crashed into were sent tumbling to the ground in a heap of tangled limbs and body parts, "Ughh, Hinata?"

"N-Naruto-kun?" a bright red Hyuga heiress blushed at how close she was to her crush and inspiration and tried her best not to faint.

"Arf!" both academy students looked to see a tail wagging Hottomaru merely staring at them. Naruto even thought he was laughing at his situation.

"Why you," Naruto got up before he felt something being crushed beneath his foot. "Huh?"

"My cinnamon buns!" Hinata's eyes began to water a tad.

"Oh, crap," Naruto was worried. Hinata was actually one of the nicer, if not slightly weird at times, students in the academy. She didn't make fun of him for being the Dead Last nor did she fawn over Sasuke-teme according to **Observe**. Though most of the time he saw her Hinata was all red and flustered, _"Probably some sickness she has._ "

But Naruto had seen what happened to those who tried to steal or eat her cinnamon buns without her say so. Naruto had only come across it by chance but the boy wouldn't forget seeing the girl's personality do a one eighty and go from a kind and well-mannered girl into an angry and sadistic revenge seeking kunoichi, if only temporarily, before she came to her senses and began to apologize to them. Even then they were left frightened by the girl and some of the victims were forced to limp home. " _And just because she tapped them in certain spots."_

Seeing her eyes darken a bit Naruto got scarred and tried to thinking of something fast, "Uh."

"Oh, Naruto-kun," the boy turned towards her and found himself thrown into an alley. "Ow!" he groaned.

"Naruto-kun," the heiress called out her face once sweet and innocent now sported a demonic expression. "Hinata wants a word with you," the way she advanced towards him had the terrified boy sweating buckets.

" _Oh sweet kami-sama help me,_ " Naruto tried to get up but found himself unable to use his legs.

"What the hell!?" seeing his body betraying him at the moment the boy looked to his ninken for help but saw nothing. "Traitor!" the damn mutt had left him all high and dry. Though he honestly could not blame him.

"Kukukuku," Vengeful Hinata laughed as she was now face to face with him. "Any last words, Na-ru-to-kun?"

"Uh…. Oh, how I buy you a new batch," he hoped to appease the heiress.

 **Your reputation with Hinata has increased by 250.**

 **Your luck has held out and you've avoided Vengeful Hinata's wrath.**

" _Oh, thank you kami,_ " he thought as Hinata turned back to normal a look of confusion crossing her face.

"Ano, what happened?" she asked before realising how close she was to Naruto, "Eep!" she fainted backwards.

"I don't know what just happened but I'll take normal Hinata any day of the week," Naruto thought out loud.

 **(Years Later)**

"Ugh, what happened?" Naruto asked his wife, a much large and intimidating Hottomaru beside her.

"Hima-chan inherited my vengeful side," Naruto paled as he realized what she was referring to.

"Oh, crap. It's worse than you think," Naruto dusted himself off now that his ability to move had returned.

"You mean you're mother's temper," Hinata had found out all about her through Naruto and stories from those who knew her.

"That and Anko's been teaching her a few things," the Hyuga's eyes widened.

"Oh, dear," Hinata was even more worried now.

"Oh, niichan!" a teasing and frightening voice was heard. "Hima wants to play with you!" Both parents shivered at the tone, no child that young should be that scary in their minds. "I found you!"

"HELP!" Boruto was screwed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Good Times**

As he stared out onto the streets that held the large behemoth of grey undead, Naruto found himself fortunate that the boss of this world wasn't the smartest of beings and was merely walking around in a daze. He didn't doubt it was looking for him but knew it had no idea where he was and took this opportunity to plan.

*Smash!*

"Ok, that thing's STR is too damn high to fight head on at the moment," as evident by it destroying and caving in one of the buildings roofs and floors with relatively ease.

Naruto knew that a solid blow from that thing would most likely take a ton of HP away from him, and that was with him blocking it. Once he levelled up a few times and bought better gear he'd give that method a shot and take it from there. He didn't want to chance it at the moment.

Using **Futon: Reppusho** (Wind Release: Violent Gale Palm) in conjunction with his kunai and shuriken was also a bust because it was very tolerant to bladed weapons. This meant he'd have to combine it with **Katon: Hidama** (Fire Release: Fireball). Its weakness to fire based techniques plus its slow speed and enormous size made it an easy target.

"Hit and run tactics it is then," Naruto muttered. "Ok, Hotto, I need you to… Hotto?"

"Arf!"

Whipping his head around so fast that one would assume he'd suffer from whiplash, Naruto's eyes bulged out of his head as he saw his ninken barking at the boss. " _You stupid god damn mutt!_ "

The situation as only made worse when the giant zombie spotted the little ninken. It cocked its head in a confused, or dull, manner but proceeded to make his way towards it anyway. " _Oh, hell no!_ "

Leaping into action just as it began raising its arm, Naruto blurred through the hand seals for **Hidama** , launched the three fireballs and quickly followed up with a **Reppusho.** With its bulky frame all three enhanced fireballs struck home on its head and torso. The action caused it to stumble backwards as the **Burning** status effect took hold. Naruto proceeded to make his way towards Hottomaru so they could retreat, only for the ninken pup to use **Tsuga** on the boss' leg. Its flailing around because of the fire along with the drill like attack forced the leg to slip out from under him, effectively making the boss lose its balance in the process, along with some HP, and come tumbling down.

" _That's convenient,"_ Naruto thought, the boss having already lost a little over three hundred of its HP in less than a minute. With the zombie down, Naruto took advantage of its current state by unleashing as many **Katon: Hidama** as he could on the creature. When the beast finally got up it had lost a little over one thousand of its HP, Naruto had to admit he was expecting more for something with such a high level.

"Is this the best you can do?!" he shouted at the behemoth.

"GGRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGG!"

He'd soon regret those words as the dungeon boss bellowed out loud, forcing both Naruto and Hottomaru to cover their ears as much as possible before it began retreating.

 **The Legion Zombie has called for help! Defeat the horde of ninja zombies within five minutes to prevent it from regaining its lost HP.**

"Oops," a sheepish Naruto chuckled nervously.

Hottomaru merely glared at his partner. His face saying, "You had to ask, didn't you?"

As the first **Ninja Zombies** appeared within range Naruto decided to let them get as close as possible before striking, " **Katon: Enso Kaenjin no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Circle Flame Formation Technique).

A wall of deadly red-hot flames encircled both Naruto and Hottomaru. The zombies too close to them were reduced to ash within seconds. Those behind them merely fell victim to their flailing flamed covered comrades before they too were set alight. After a minute, Naruto released the technique, his concentration starting to wane because of his lack of practice and, while improved, still low chakra control. The fact that he noticed the zombies weren't coming at him anymore also played a factor.

Naruto and Hottomaru then began to go at the zombies. Striking them, biting and raking them in Hottomaru's case, sending them to the ground, and beating them senseless until they vanished into particles of light. By the time they were almost done, Naruto was pretty sure they had finished killing the required **Ninja Zombies** for Anko's quest.

"Mweoooaaaarr!" the sound of the **Wailing** **Cat** rang in their ears and both Naruto and Hottomaru were left dazed. The ninja and ninken soon found themselves struck by some **NinjaZombies** that sent them tumbling. One of them still holding onto Naruto and biting at his arm.

"Fuck off!" Naruto punched at it but suddenly found his other arm being bitten by another **Ninja Zombie**. "I'm gonna fucking kill that cat," he cursed darkly and knew he was currently being affected by the **Impaired Senses** status effect. The blond felt stupid for being caught off guard. Had Anko been here she'd tear him a new one for being caught so easily. " _Good thing she's not gonna find out."_

"Arf!" Hottomaru was sent skidding and Naruto saw he was dealing with two **Zombie Ninja** that sped towards him.

Having enough of this, Naruto summoned as much strength as possible and threw off one of the zombies. With one arm free the boy proceeded to rain down blows on the other until it disappeared. Spotting the zombies that neared his partner, Naruto used **Reppusho** on their backs and sent them tumbling into a wall, their necks twisting at an unnatural angle upon contact with the burning building. The blond however was forced to duck as Hottomaru launched himself at him and saw him gnawing at the throat of the **Ninja Zombie** he threw off.

Sweeping its legs, Naruto used the momentum to bring his staff down upon its head, crushing it like a melon. With so few zombies near them Naruto used **Detection** to try and locate the **Wailing Cat** but became frustrated when he couldn't find the thrice damned feline.

"Gonna need to keep our guards up, Hotto," Naruto informed his ninken. The boy was still pissed at the pup's lack of thinking for rushing in like this but getting him pissed off wasn't going to help the situation.

As they finished off the last of the zombies, and with plenty of time to spare, Naruto and Hottomaru were greeted once more with the sight of the boss landing into the street. Not only did the suddenness of it all throw him off, but the proximity in which it happened knocked Naruto and Hottomaru off balance. When its large hand reached out to crush him, Naruto grabbed Hottomaru and switched both himself and the pup with a large broken piece of concrete from the building it destroyed earlier.

However, his inexperience in using a side along Kawarimi with something much heavier, while still the same size as him, and very far away took a very good chunk out of his chakra. Kawarimi was one of the most basic of jutsu and was ranked as an E-Rank technique because of the simple concept and easy to use method, but Anko had informed him about the technique being somewhat misleading.

Anko had compared it to the Summoning Technique. The amount of chakra used depended on the size and distance of the object being substituted with. More commonly it was with a log, other wooden object, or something of similar build because they were lightweight, smaller and allowed them to fool and place Exploding Tags on them as a sneak attack. Stone structures weren't really used as they were heavier and required more chakra for one to switch with. Those with a large amount of CP did it because they could afford to, but even then it was somewhat impractical.

Luckily, Naruto had CP to spare but the boy would have to avoid using Kawarimi like that if he was to make sure he had enough to use against the **Legion Zombie.** Hiding in the ruins of the building it destroyed, part of it being still intact, and allowed them to remain hidden from the boss' line of sight, Naruto looked at Hottomaru.

"Hotto, stay here," he ordered and the pup looked angry and ready to disobey him. "Listen to me!" his voice serious, but not too loud to draw the boss' attention, and his body displaying a no nonsense authority. "That thing will crush you, almost did. If it wasn't for me you'd be dead because of your dumbass stunt," he chided the now downtrodden looking pup.

"I know you want to show your stuff, Hotto, but I need you to stay out of danger," the ninken's face showed that while he didn't like it still he looked somewhat placated. "If you spot any of those cats nearby I want you to Tsuga them a new asshole," the image was a bit unsettling but it seemed to work, "But don't do it if it's gonna get you in more trouble. Got it?"

"Arf," Hottomaru agreed, he didn't like it but at least he'd still be useful.

"Good boy," he patted the ninken's head. Looking back out the opening, Naruto spotted the **Legion Zombie's** back facing towards him. While he knew it was a risky move, Naruto used **Shadow Strike** and took a good deal of its HP, "Over here, ugly!" Naruto shouted at the being.

Naruto distanced himself as quickly as he could as the boss brought its arms up and pounded the earth where he once stood. The terrain buckling and caving in, spider web crack marks began to form and pieces of nearby buildings collapsed or fell onto the streets.

Getting an idea, one he hoped would work, Naruto launched a few **Katon: Hidama** at the boss' legs, getting a roar of pain for his efforts, and proceed to run inside a building. When the pain subsided seconds later for the boss he made his way towards the building of the one who caused its suffering and proceeded to smash it to bits. First came the roof, followed by the second floor, and then the main floor.

Once its work was done, the boss hunched over and began to search for him. Its search would prove to be futile and the boss had little time to react as it felt the sting from the fireballs lick at its exposed flesh.

" **Ryoku Boku** (Power Strike)!"

It had even less time to react as it felt a strong blow to the back of its head and it fell face first into the destroyed building due to its loss of balance. Grinning Naruto held up a hand seal and saw several seal tags placed onto the rocks lit up before they exploded in a shower of flames and stone shrapnel. Naruto had thought himself lucky that some of the **Ninja Zombies** dropped some. Even if it was considered rare drops and **Low Grade Exploding Tags** that only did sixty-five to eighty HP damage per tag.

As the smoke covered giant rose up, Naruto prepared to use **Hidama** once more but was caught off guard when he spotted it holding up a very large slab of stone. Judging by its appearance and the square like holes in its side Naruto half-hazard a guess it was the building's former wall.

"Oh, shit," the blond realized exactly what it intended to do with and ran as quickly as possible. With remarkable strength, though relatively easy for it, the giant threw the stone structure at him with precise accuracy. Flipping through the air, over and under, until finally it crashed onto the ground near the blond ninja to be.

While he managed to evade being crushed at the last second the close impact and large flying debris still struck home and sent him flying into a nearby wall. The impact taking about five hundred of his HP and left him greatly stunned. The momentarily impaired boy was left motionless long enough for the angry zombie to close the distance between them. Still stunned and unable to move, Naruto could only watch helplessly as it cocked back its arm, ready to launch its fist with the intent to crush him, bones and muscle, once and for all.

* * *

 **(With Anko and Hiruzen)**

While Naruto was in the **Zombie Dungeon** , Anko and Hiruzen continued discussing about the resident jinchuriki. "If what you say is true, Anko, then I'm going to need to make some alterations."

Essentially it meant more paperwork for him to do. The man known as the **Saindaime Kami no Shinobi** (Third God of Ninja) mentally groaned. Even with him no longer him causing trouble, that he heard of, his surrogate grandson was giving him more work to do.

" _Damn it, Minato,_ " part of Hiruzen still thought he should have perished and sacrificed his life. He lived a very long life, and Minato was just starting his. At least then he'd be rid of paperwork and more importantly, reunited with friends and loved ones. People such as his late wife Biwako, his father, the legendary Sarutobi Sasuke, his teachers, even greater legendary ninja, Hashirama and Tobirama, and friends such as Uchiha Kagami, and Akimichi Torifu. The latter two having perished during the Kyubi no Yoko Incident.

"Yeah, the gaki's been known to do that from what I heard," even before teaching him Anko had often heard about Naruto's actions forcing others to make changes. "If there's one I've learned it's that you can count on the gaki doing unpredictable yet somehow effective planning on the fly."

"True, too true," Hiruzen had lost count of the many pranked Chunin that chased after the boy over the years. Some had caught him while most had been led on a wild goose chase or lost track of Naruto because of the boy's unpredictable and unorthodox tactics. " _A trait he and his mother share,"_ the man honestly couldn't tell if such a thing was good or bad.

"I must say, Anko you've done a remarkable job with Naruto," his praised made the young Tokubetsu Jonin smirk. He was being honest too. In a few weeks, coupled with his unique ability, she had managed to bring Naruto back up to speed. What would happen next he'd couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen.

"Thanks, Hokage-sama. Though I haven't just been training the gaki. Hell, I know something about that even the gaki doesn't know and I managed to pull it right underneath his very nose," she grinned and found it ironic that she managed to pull a fast one under the resident prankster.

"Oh?" he was intrigued. "Do tell."

"Most of the time I spent training the gaki I had Midori train that runt of a mutt of his," Anko had no idea how to train dogs despite being around them fairly often. "Poochie-gaki will instinctively know a few clan techniques but without a partner that knows them too they aren't going to be as effective."

Hiruzen nodded, Sakumo himself had to come up with some techniques for his ninken as well when he received them. Kakashi himself had come up with a few as well during his time in Anbu, and with deadly effect.

"So Midori taught the pup a few things such as dodging, tracking, how to better sense chakra with its senses," here she sighed, "that damn mutt is stubborn though. It's basically the gaki's ninken equivalent."

" _Much like you're Naruto's female equivalent,_ " he mentally added, "I can image it made teaching him somewhat difficult."

"Midori's not one to bitch, but yeah," she acknowledged. "However, just like the gaki that mutt's got spunk in him. Aside from learning how to properly use the **Tsuga** Midori actually managed to teach him another thing."

"And what would that be exactly?"

Anko merely grinned.

* * *

 **(Zombie Dungeon)**

As the giant zombie threw its arm at him Naruto saw a shadow barrel into the undead boss' back. The unexpected move coupled with its size threw off its aim way off and had the zombie screaming in pain as something large bit into its neck and set it aflame.

As the daze that impaired his movement finally subsided, Naruto not only ran out of there to avoid being crushed but finally saw what was attacking his would be killer.

"Hotto?!" he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"GRRRRAAARRRFFF!"

Where there was once a small puppy was now a very large horse size dog that was tearing into the pale grey skinned being's neck. The dog's mouth had very sharp fangs, its two canine teeth were now like miniature sabers wreathed in flames, its paws having wicked claws that held on tight and ripped and scratched deeply into the beast's hide, blood poured from the wounds like a miniature faucet.

Not one to look into a gift horse's mouth, Naruto decided it was high time to end this once and for all. The zombie was weak to fire but his techniques were low rank and could only do so much damage to it. Thinking as quickly as possible, a thought popped in his mind. At the moment it was worth a shot. Naruto had no intention of prolonging this fight anymore and had no intention of seeing it flee and have to face another zombie horde. The boy didn't want to chance his former predicament from happening again. Concentrating to the best of his ability, which proved strenuous, Naruto began channeling and moulding as much chakra as he could into his lungs. Slowly he made the chakra churn and spin, slowly at first until it began to pick up speed.

While this was happening Hottomaru's actions of tearing into the boss began to subside considerably. Before long the large dog kicked off the creature and landed on a roof. The strong beast soon found himself transforming back into his smaller, weaker self and slumped to the ground exhausted. The act of transforming himself into a large more powerful adult version of himself had been taught by Midori and the pup had only just managed to get it down to use it.

Sadly the technique proved to be still too much for him to maintain and was basically a last resort sort of technique. The amount of chakra used to maintain it was incredible and as of right now the ninken could only use it for about a minute before being forced to revert back. Unfortunately, for the boss it was all that was needed before its fate was sealed.

As the seconds went by, though he swore it felt more like minutes instead, Naruto was being pushed to his limits. The strain of quickly moulding and condensing this much chakra like this was foreign and Naruto didn't know how much longer he could maintain it. Ultimately the decision was made for him as the boss looked about ready to destroy the building Hottomaru landed on.

" _Now or never,"_ feeling as ready as he was ever going to be, Naruto unleashed his attack at the boss. " **Katon: Rasen Hoen no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Spiralling Phoenix Flame Technique)!"

From the boy's mouth shot fourth a stream of red hot flames that took on the form of a majestic bird. The bird of flames rocketed through the air in a manner similar to Hottomaru's Tsuga. The technique subsequently speared the zombie's back and piercing out the chest, its mouth wide in pain but not at sound came out of it. Seconds later its entire body was set on fire, the **Legion Zombie** flailing around before it turned to ash, effectively ending its life.

"Haaa, haaaa," Naruto, drenched in his own sweat, huffed and fell to his knees, the powerful technique taking quite a bit out of him. " _But damn did it get the job done._ "

 **Your level has gone up by 1!**

 **Your Katon: Hidama has gone up by 1!**

 **Your Basic Blunt Weapon Mastery has gone up by 1!**

 **Your Ryoku Boku has gone up by 2!**

 **Your Futon: Reppusho has gone up by 1!**

 **Your Katon: Enso Kaenjin has gone up by 1!**

 **A special skill has been created through a special act!**

 **By moulding and building your chakra in a drilling manner you created Katon: Rasen Hoen no Jutsu**!

 **Katon: Rasen Hoen no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Spiralling Phoenix Flame Technique) A-Rank. Lv. 1 Next Lv. 0%. **CP Usage: 500 (450, Fire Affinity).** This powerful technique creates a drill of red-hot flames that can pierce through virtually anything it comes in contact with in seconds. Being directly struck by this technique is almost guaranteed to be a One-Hit-Kill for some. Despite its immense lethality this techniques takes a while to build up the necessary chakra and uses up a large amount of chakra to use, leaving the user vulnerable and defenceless. The technique can also be easily dodged by someone quick enough, making it ineffective against nimble individuals, and is best used only if hitting someone is guaranteed.

• Does 700-900 damage (770-990 damage, **Fire Affinity)**

• Chances of **Burning** is 100%

• Ignores Enemy Armour Defence

• Chance of causing Instant Kill if directly hit

• 15 second moulding and rotation time

• 1 Additional 10 second rotation time possible, causes additional damage but leaves user wide open

Naruto merely grinned at the gain of a powerful technique. The amount of time it would take to mould and prepare it was terrible however and Naruto would have to come up with a way to shorten it. Powerful as it was it left him wide open for his opponents to strike him and Naruto was not too fond of that. A defenceless ninja was basically a dead one as Anko said.

"Hey, Hotto! You alright?!" he huffed, even talking at the moment took some effort.

"Arf," he was greeted with a tired reply.

"Good to hear, Hotto. Good to hear," Naruto really owed his ninken one for saving his ass. Had he not, Naruto was pretty sure he'd either be dead or have a pretty bad injury that would force him to be hospitalized for the next little while.

Resting for as long as possible, Naruto soon felt himself able to stand without the world spinning around him. Getting Hotto and making sure he was alright. Naruto breathed much easier as while the ninken used up a large amount of CP was luckily only tired out and not suffering from **Chakra Exhaustion** , part of the reason being thanks to him levelling up as like Naruto it restored a portion of his HP and CP in the process.

" _Too bad it doesn't restore it all like some video games,_ " Naruto commented.

Going back down to where the Legion Zombie fell Naruto proceeded to look over the loot. "Holy shit!" he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Before him was a whopping 30,000 Ryo. Being a boss and a high level one at that Naruto wasn't surprised it would be high but even then he wasn't prepared for it. Beside it were bottles with green liquid in them and a scroll, "Ok, what else we got here?"

 **Low Grade Recovery Potion (Rare Quality)**

 **Status Effect: Recovery Item**

 **Description: An item that instantly heals 500 HP. Though it is called a potion in truth is actually liquid medical chakra mixed with various unknown herbs. The purpose of its creation was to instantly heal the wounds of an individual but it cannot cure illnesses, fatigue, or energy levels. The creation of this potion and its improvements were thought to be a mere myth or fabrication as few of them were ever created or seen. Has a bitter taste.**

" _Gotta look this up later,_ " Naruto thought before storing all three bottles. They'd come in handy if he was ever in a bind. The **First Aid** item did something similar but wasn't all that convenient when he was fighting someone. "Next."

 **Ninpo: Goriki** (Ninja Art: Hard Strength) B-Rank. Lv. 1 Next Lv. 0/75. **CP Usage: 150 per 10 minutes.** This technique greatly strengthens the user's muscles allowing them to hit harder, lift heavier objects, and throw objects even further and with deadlier force.

• Increases STR by 30 for 10 minutes.

• Taijutsu and Bukijutsu damage increased by 30%.

Naruto's eyes widened at the find and immediately learned the technique, ignoring the evaporating scroll. Knowing this technique was great because he could use it for various purposes and catch others off guard with his newfound strength. " _They won't know what hit them,_ " he grinned.

The next item wasn't really useful, or appealing to look at for that matter. It was a giant eyeball, "Ugh, must be the proof I need to give Anko."

Sure enough the moment he touched it and used **Observe** was his guess correct and the item turned out to be what he thought it would be. "Oh, man this is nasty," the globular object was slimy to the touch and not all that pleasant to smell either. Part of him wondered what the hell she was going to do with it? Knowing Anko he didn't doubt it would probably be gruesome, even just thinking about the possibilities made him want to gag.

"Quest Status!" he said to get his mind off the subject.

 **Civilian Zombies Slain (50/50)**

 **Mob Zombies Slain (39/50)**

 **Ninja Zombies Slain (31/25)**

 **Total: 114**

Shrugging, despite after all that happened and they still weren't done, Naruto and Hottomaru went inside a nearby building and rested for a little while. With his low health Naruto decided to test out one of the **Low Grade Recovery Potions** by giving it to Hottomaru.

After a bit of coaxing, the pup drank the liquid despite its taste and Naruto soon saw all of the cuts and scrapes Hottomaru had glow before they began disappearing. But Hottomaru was still tired and Naruto remembered the description saying it didn't restore chakra or do something about fatigue. The boy would have to see if anything could be done about that. Hopefully there was a technique that allowed him to share or restore chakra to another somehow.

Naruto himself was still a bit tired if he was honest. His new katon technique coupled with the hour he had been here trying to level up some of his other techniques, along with him using a lot of chakra consuming techniques during the fight had begun to tire him out. Oh, Naruto was confident he could probably still go on for a couple of hours before the **Fatigue** status effect began to affect him. Assuming he didn't really use some of his techniques that is.

Taking out some food, as it would bring down his fatigue levels, Naruto began to munch on a piece of **Roasted Boar Meat** and savoured the taste. Hearing a whine beside him, Naruto took out another **Roasted Boar Meat** and gave it to Hottomaru who began to ravage the piece of pork. Both ninja and ninken ate in relative silence, merely relaxing and enjoying each others company before they got back to it.

* * *

 **(Sometime Later)**

Naruto and Hottomaru shook their heads as they reappeared in Konoha, "Hopefully we get used to that," Naruto muttered. The blond didn't care for the sensation but had every intention of going back in and milking the **Zombie Dungeon** for all that it was worth.

It was more so about farming as Naruto didn't doubt that once he levelled up again the lower rank zombies wouldn't give him EXP anymore, heck the Civilian Zombies he encountered didn't even give him EXP anymore. Even the EXP from the boss wouldn't be as high any longer and with the EXP required to level increasing as well it would more of a hassle to enter the dungeon. He'd get drop loot, which was good, but there was only so much one could do in a dungeon such as this until it became stagnant and no longer useful. Especially when better dungeons were discovered.

" **Time,"** the numbers 11:21 formed above his head. A good portion of the day had already passed. At the moment Naruto didn't feel like going into another dungeon, "I'll go in one later tonight."

At the moment the boy merely wanted to relax, take it easy, and enjoy his Saturday with his ninken. "Hell, I might even take a nap later," the action would restore a bit of HP and CP amongst others thing and the boy could not recall the last time he took one.

While the boy wanted to get the EXP from Anko's mission he was in no rush. Glancing at the other quests he had Naruto decided to take a look into that house quest to see what the price was at. He put it off for some time, now was as good a time as any. Walking through the streets of Konoha, Naruto ignored the glares some sent his way, having to stop Hottomaru from barking at those who did. The boy often wondered why they would do it, sure he had pulled some pranks on a few of them but even before he started doing that they still gave him looks.

Not letting it bother him, Naruto continued on his way until it dawned on him, "I have no idea where hell I'm going," he realized. Hottomaru face planted at his partner's lack of forethought.

"Arf!" the ninken growled at his stupidity.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Naruto said, "Might as well go and see, Jiji."

Having a destination now, Hottomaru took off like a shot towards the Hokage Tower with Naruto following right behind him. Bobbing and weaving through the crowd of civilian merchants and ninja, it took the two approximately three minutes to reach their destination.

"Hey, Mariko-neec- Iruka-sensei?"

"Hmm," the Chunin instructor looked up from his paperwork, "Oh, hello, Naruto," he greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same thing. Where's Mariko-neechan?" Naruto asked.

The man chuckled. With the amount of time Naruto spent here he wasn't surprised he and the secretary were close, "Off visiting family. I fill in for her from time to time," he told his student.

Oh," made sense when he thought about it. His next question was answered before he even asked it.

"If you're wanting to see Hokage-sama I'm afraid he's going to be busy for the next couple of hours, Naruto. He's in a very important meeting at the moment, and it just started."

"Damn," there went that idea. Though a thought popped into his head just as quickly, "Hey, Iruka-sensei do you know anything about owning a house or property?"

"Huh?" the question threw him through a loop. Of all the potential questions Naruto was going to ask, training for instance, he didn't expect the blond haired troublemaker to ask that. "Where's this coming from?"

"Kiba's mom said that ninken like wide open space to play around in. My apartment's good at the moment but Hotto's breed is supposed to grow up pretty big," the image of the puppy's other form popped into his head.

"How big are we talking?" Iruka had seen quite a few large ninken but he doubted it would be too drastic in the pup's case.

"Horse size," Naruto's answer made the man's eyes widen and blink in disbelief. Such a small puppy was going to be the size of a horse! Looking into his eyes Iruka saw that Naruto wasn't pulling his leg on this one. With the amount of time he spent catching the boy in a lie and catching him during his pranks the man was one of the few that knew when the boy was being honest or spewing bullshit.

"Really," the man whistled, "How old is he?"

"Two, almost three," Naruto told him.

Iruka frowned. Ninken, unlike regular dogs, aged much more slowly and didn't grow as quickly. But Iruka knew that once they hit age three or four they underwent a growth spurt and didn't stop until age five or seven. If what Naruto said was true then the apartment he had would be too small for both of them.

"I'm afraid I don't know much about buying property, Naruto. Despite renovating it and moving a few things around, I've lived in the same house since I was born," both his parents had been Jonin and amassed quite a bit of money because of the amount of B and A Rank missions they did between them. When both passed away, Iruka had been left with a house and financially secured as he had no other kin. Iruka hardly spent it either, the man preferred teaching than being in the field. So where most ninja used the money they earned to buy better weapons and armour Iruka didn't really use it for that sort of thing.

" _This was helpful,_ " Naruto groaned.

"Arf!"

"Ah, damn it," Anko pouted, "Way to ruin my fun, Poochie-gaki."

"Grrrr," the ninken growled at the nickname.

"You were trying to sneak up on me weren't you?" it was more of an accusation than a question.

"Hey, don't look at me. Umino spotted me sexy self the moment I came in. The mutt merely caught a whiff of me before I could do anything," Anko defended.

"Sensei?!" the boy sent the man a betrayed look.

"Think of it as a way of getting even for all those pranks you pulled over the years," Iruka smirked.

"…Fair point," he conceded before returning his attention to Anko. "Why are you here anyways?"

"Was bored and wanted to screw with you," all three males could believe it, "But someone had to ruin my fun."

"Arf! A proud Hottomaru merely puffed his chest out at her.

"Just wait till Monday, mutt," she smirked and Hottomaru instantly deflated and was scared at what she meant. "What are two doing here anyways, gaki?"

"Wanted to ask, Jiji something. Tried asking sensei but he knows squat," he ignored the man's indignant look, "Do you know anything about owning a house?"

"House, no. A condo, yes," Anko responded. With the amount she made from missions and interrogation she was able to afford much more but didn't want to maintain or pay Genin to maintain a house, "Why? Thinking of getting a bigger place?"

"Blame him," Naruto pointed at Hottomaru, the ninken barked at him, "Know any good places?"

"Can't say I do. You'd have to ask someone at Konoha Real Estate and Construction. Owning a house ain't cheap, gaki," she recalled how her friend Yugao Uzuki and her lover Hayate tried looking into buying one. The Anbu often worked closely alongside the T&I Division more than any other division in Konoha and she had made a couple of friends among the Anbu as a result. "A friend told me that the least expensive houses are about one to two and a half million ryo. Even then they're the ones that need some tuning up because of how worn down and old they are. You'd basically be putting more work into making it liveable."

"One million ryo's the cheapest!" Naruto's eyes bulged. The blond realized he'd have to kill the **Legion Zombie** some thirty odd times before he could get that much money. He knew it was going to be expensive but assumed that thanks to his ability he'd make it in no time. It was going to be a while before he could get that amount of money, " _Shit."_

"Like I said, owning a house ain't cheap. Plus with us going away a lot it means having to hire someone to maintain the landscape. Most ninja live in decent sized apartments. It's practical and functional. The only ninja who buy houses are usually couples or ones starting families, or in your case, have pets that require some legroom," Anko explained.

Nodding at her explanation, Naruto bid Iruka farewell and left with Hottomaru and Anko, "By the way, gaki, did you finish it?" she asked once they were a relatively isolated area.

"Yep, both of them," he smirked while she grinned.

"Figured as much," Anko didn't doubt the boy would go after the dungeon boss. In the weeks she spent with the boy Anko knew he went beyond the normal expectations. "Got the proof?"

Here he grimaced, "Yeah, pretty nasty though," Naruto shivered and Hottomaru nearly gagged.

"Can't be that bad… can it?"

"It's a smelly eyeball the size of my head, maybe even a little bigger," Naruto saw Anko wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"Yeah, I don't need that, thanks," when she wanted proof she didn't mean something like this in mind. "Anyway good job, gaki."

* * *

 **[QUEST COMPLETED!]**

 **Die Zombies, Die!**

 **Main Quest: Kill 50 Civilian Zombies, 50 Mob Zombies, and 25 Ninja Zombie (Accomplished)**

 **Side Quest: Kill Zombie Boss and bring proof of its defeat (Accomplished)**

 **Total Rewards Earned:**

 **1100 EXP, +350 REP with Anko**

* * *

"Arf!" Hottomaru's tail wagged.

"What's with him?" she asked.

"Levelled up," Naruto was also close to levelling up once again but Hottomaru had a lower level than him so it made since he levelled up faster.

"Any plans for the rest of the day?"

"Gonna hit a dungeon later tonight, maybe take a nap later, take it easy for a while and see what happens."

"So basically you're gonna veg?"

"Pretty much," the boy made a terrible mistake saying this and both he and Hottomaru were forced to dodge a hail of kunai.

"Not on my watch, gaki?" she cackled and chased after both ninken and ninja. The sounds of their screams and Anko's laughter sending shivers down the spines of those who heard. So much for a relaxing afternoon.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Level: 9 Next Level: 4683/6500**

 **Title: Academy Student**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 1950**

 **CP: 3025**

 **STR: 40.5**

 **VIT: 55**

 **DEX: 59**

 **INT: 91**

 **WIS: 38.5**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 30**

 **Perks:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards

Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards reputation gain

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP towards Chakra Control

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards reputation gain, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Apprentice Zombie Slayer:** 40% increase attack and defense against Undead, +10 stats when facing Undead, +15% additional drops and Exp from Undead

 **Status Effects:**

 **Malnourished:** Hampered physical growth rate, -25% to VIT, DEX, and STR stat base, +20% vulnerability to poisons

 **Description:** Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently an academy student with inspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. At the moment, Naruto is considered by many as a shoe in for the title of **Dead Last.**

 **Money** : 104,640Ryo ~ (10,464$)

 **Attribute Points: 3**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Job: Ninken (Ninja Dog)**

 **Level: 8 Next Level: 683/5400**

 **Reputation: Neutral (860/1000)**

 **Title: Naruto's Partner**

 **Specialization: Battle Pet**

 **Ninken Category: Hybrid "Guard and Tracking"**

 **HP: (450/450)**

 **CP: (250/250)**

 **STR: 14**

 **VIT: 18**

 **DEX: 27**

 **INT: 10**

 **WIS: 7**

 **LUK: 17**

 **Defense: 15**

 **Perks:**

 **Ninja Dog:** Human Lifespan, Ability to Mould Chakra, Potential to speak human language

 **Komainu Lineage (Guard Dog):** +1 VIT, +1 STR per Lv, +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Biting Techniques, -20% Effectiveness and EXP towards Training and Reputation, "?"

 **Akita Lineage (Tracking Dog):** +2 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Tracking Skill, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Stealth, +10% towards Movement Speed during and outside combat

 **Keen-Senses:** +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Special Perk**

 **Gamer's Combat Pet:** A special perk that allows any of your combat pets the ability **Gamer's Body** , though they only earn a small amount of Attribute Points per level that you can allocate. However, this can be lost if you decide you don't want a certain pet or if your pet abandons you.

 **Attribute Points: 5**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Ah, Rats!**

All was peaceful in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The midday sun was shining brightly and many took this opportunity to enjoy the nice hot weather before winter settled in. To many it was going to be a nice and quiet afternoon, perfect for some R&R.

*BOOM*!

At least for most that is.

" _Note to self; Never tell Anko I'm gonna slack off_ ," Naruto thought as he hid from his crazed mentor.

"Oh, Gaki, Poochie-gaki," a sinister and predatory voice called out for the blond and his ninken. Two sets of four kunai were held in her hands, glistening in the light of the sun.

" _Why the hell is she doing this? ... Oh, right, she's Anko,_ " Naruto remembered, an exhausted Hottomaru by his side. Both knew Anko most likely had an inkling on where they were and was merely playing with them, " _More like torturing_ ," he dared not voice his thoughts.

"Oh, boys," she called out again, "I have a present for you?" she cackled and both males felt a shiver go up their spines. "Ah, fuck it, I'm bored now. **Sen'eijashu** (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)!" lazily, Anko turned towards their location and sent a myriad of snakes of various colors from the sleeves of her trench coat.

"Knew it!" the blond shouted and both he and his ninken made a run for it. Dip, dive, dodge was basically their movements as they tried to evade the serpents hot on their tails. Both knew their lives depended on it, Anko's punishment for the "game", as she so affectionately called it, was not gonna be pretty according to her.

" _Don't get caught, don't get caught, for the love of kami don't get caught,"_ the blond repeated the mantra in his head and spurred on even faster than before. Anko said that because he was used to her old training methods she was now coming up with new and more challenging ones. The new challenges he could deal with, the increase in punishment should he fail one of them he could do without. The woman was a sadist for punishment and Naruto knew just how original she could get.

"Don't get caught, don't get-oof" he found himself falling face first to the ground, courtesy of a four snakes currently wrapping around his legs and tightening themselves to prevent him from escaping.

" _Oh, fuck me,_ " Naruto cursed and tried to think of a way to get out of this.

"Don't bother, gaki," he felt Anko's weight on him, "You and your mutt aren't going anywhere," she grinned, Hottomaru yelped for help, and he wanted to cry. "Now for your punishment," here she pulled out a scroll.

"Isn't that a mission scroll?" he asked, having seen them several times when he was younger.

"Sharp eye," she nodded, "As punishment you're gonna do these two missions. I owed someone so I have to pay for this mission or get someone to complete it for me free of charge," she felt almost embarrassed for having forgotten something like this. "Anyway both of them are contracted by the same people so you don't have to go too far to accomplish them."

"What do you mean by that?" he immediately regretted asking as she Body Flickered all three of them to the location.

* * *

 **(A Few Hours Later)**

"There goes our afternoon," an exhausted Naruto groaned at how unfair this was. If he wasn't afraid of the consequences, and Anko, he'd prank her ass so hard she'd be chocking. "So much for no training and shit on weekends," he mocked.

At first the prospect of doing two D-Rank missions before becoming a ninja sounded cool, plus the bragging rights. Naruto now understood why Tenten didn't care so much about D-Rank and why he didn't like the feeling he got from it. D-Rank missions were nothing more than god-damn glorified chores that civilians and ninja were either too busy or lazy to do themselves. Though the price for them to be done were expensive.

Instead of relaxing and taking the afternoon to nap, Anko had left him to tend the house of two individuals called Gekkō Hayate and Yugao Uzuki. Apparently both had only just bought a house together, roughly a few weeks back, but because of their busy lifestyle they had little time to clean and maintain the place. Both had only recently gotten time off together for the first time in over three weeks and planned to make the most of it. Therefore as punishment for being caught, though Anko said he and Hottomaru did decent, Naruto was to do the two missions they had asked for to be done.

In this case, weeding the garden and cutting the grass along with cleaning the gutters. Due to the large size of the property, Naruto assumed they were gonna have kids at some point, Naruto knew that both he and Hottomaru were going to be here for a while. By the time the first hour had gone by and only a third of their work being done, Naruto and Hottomaru had no doubt they wouldn't be getting that nap for the next little while.

"Stupid, mother fucking weeds," Naruto cursed. His hands were caked with mud and dirt as he pulled on the stubborn plant. Naruto had a few plants of his own and knew that pulling weeds from the stem wouldn't do any good because they'd break off and simply grow back later thanks to the surviving roots still firmly in place. Which meant Naruto would have to do some digging to get them out.

"Arf!" Naruto glared at Hottomaru who looked like he was having the time of his life. The ninken's face was dirty and covered in dirt along with his paws. The stripped puppy was pulling up the weeds much faster than he was with his teeth and digging up the weeds too deep for him to pull up. Either way it was fun for him, while it sucked for Naruto.

" _Lousy lucky mutt,_ " Naruto envied the ninken at the moment, though didn't envy himself later when he'd be forced to give Hottomaru a bath. The thought made him groan even more as every time he needed one Hottomaru was adamant on making his life hell for him by either hiding or running away from him. Tricking him proved useful but pulling the same trick twice didn't work. He was a ninken after all and much smarter than the common dog.

"Not, bad," a voice behind him muttered as he surveyed the area. "Not bad at all."

Looking behind him Naruto saw a man and a woman. The man, simply put, appeared sickly and had short brown hair, dark-coloured eyes and dark markings underneath his eyes. Naruto could tell he was fairly young, probably in his twenties or thirties, but the way he coughed every so often made him wonder if this guy had some sort of sickness. Contrast to him was a healthy and young looking woman with straight, purple hair reaching down to her waist, warm brown eyes, and a shade of red lipstick.

"Let me guess, Hayate and Yugao?" chances of them being someone else were low. Using an **Observe** on them confirmed it.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzuki Yugao**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Level: ?**

 **Neutral (500/1000)**

 **Title: ?**

 **Specialization: ?**

 **HP: ?**

 **CP: ?**

 **STR: ?**

 **VIT: ?**

 **DEX: ?**

 **INT: ?**

 **WIS: ?**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: ?**

 **Perks:**

 **?:?**

 **?: ?**

 **?: ?**

 **Description:**?

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Gekkō** **Hayate**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Level: ?**

 **Reputation Level: Neutral (500/1000)**

 **Title: ?**

 **Specialization: ?**

 **HP: ?**

 **CP: ?**

 **STR: ?**

 **VIT: ?**

 **DEX: ?**

 **INT: ?**

 **WIS: ?**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: ?**

 **Perks:**

 **?:?**

 **?: ?**

 **Status Effects:**

 **?: ?**

 **Description:**?

* * *

His use of **Observe** and the results that showed also made it clear that both were strong and most likely either Tokubetsu Jonin or Jonin level individuals. "You guessed right," the man coughed. "Where's Anko?"

Naruto shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine," either way he was betting she was having a hell of a better time than him.

"Figures she'd do something like this," Yugao sighed. Leave it to Anko to dump this on an academy student. Technically he wasn't allowed to do it as he was not officially a ninja but it wasn't unheard of for academy students to do this sort of thing. Usually it was as a form of punishment, it hardly happened nowadays though, and the fact that no risk was involved with D-Rank missions also played a part.

"The place looks good though, you did a decent job," she smiled at him and Naruto blushed. Yugao was a beautiful woman after all. Hayate was a lucky guy and it made him wonder how someone like him got together with a woman like her. She was way out of his league in Naruto's mind.

"So how did Anko get an academy student, let alone Konoha's number one resident prankster of all people, to tidy up our place? She's got blackmail on you?" Hayate asked him.

"You can sorta say that. She's my tutor," he answered.

"…Yeah, and I'm a shoe in as the next Hokage," Hayate laughed but the look Naruto gave him made him pause and baffled him. "Really? Anko's tutoring a student?!" he had heard from Tetsu, the man made and maintained his gear on a regular basis, but thought it to be a joke on the man's part. The idea of Anko doing something such as this was shocking to say the least considering Anko had gone off several times saying she'd never take on a Genin team of her own. She had the right skill set despite her rank, as some Tokubetsu Jounin were known to be allowed to take on Genin teams, but Anko wasn't interested in teaching, period.

"I heard about it but I thought it was just an office rumor," Yugao was speechless. Being one of the few female friends Anko had, Yugao knew the purple and scantily clad woman pretty well. For Anko of all people to take on a student was both mind blowing and worrying at the same time. She loved her friend but for most one Anko was enough.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," it was a common occurrence whenever he said she was teaching him.

"I don't know whether to be shocked or feel bad for you," Hayate wondered if he perhaps should feel both.

"It's not all bad," it was bad still but it got results nonetheless. "Her methods are insane, and she's bat shit crazy at times, and yes doing this sucks like hell and … she's behind me isn't she," he noticed their shifting gaze. A couple weeks back he wouldn't have but Anko had pounded, literally, into his head how to spot things such as this. "Oh, shit."

"Oh, shit is right. And yes, she is," Anko confirmed, and he gulped in fear. "Looks like the master needs to teach the student a little something called manners," Yugao suppressed a snort. Coming from Anko that was rich considering her uncouth way of life and tell it as it is attitude. The purple haired Anbu had stopped counting the number of the times Anko did this sort of thing.

"Come on, Anko, cut the kid some slack," Hayate did it more out of sympathy for Naruto. The man knew how much of a sadist Anko was, especially since he fought against her years ago during the Chunin Exams. The man still had nightmares at times from that memory.

"Hey, my student, my rules. Get your own student," she childishly retorted.

"Your rules suck," Naruto accidentally blurted out and the couple's eyes damn near popped out of their heads, " _Why the hell did I say that!?"_ Naruto was pretty sure he was going to end up being chopped into itty bitty pieces for that remark, or worse. With Anko one never knew what was going to happen.

Her eye twitching at the remark, Anko hoisted Naruto up so she looked him dead in the eye. A chill went up both Hayate and Naruto's spines as she did, Yugao being used to it from her time spent with the woman. "I'm sorry," Naruto squeaked.

"Not. Good. Enough." She emphasized every single word and made him sweat even more. Looking around, spotting Hottomaru hiding in a hole he dug, Anko grinned. "So you don't like doing this, huh?"

" _Oh, no. Oh, kami please no,_ " Naruto had a bad feeling about this and knew where it was heading as well.

"For the next little while, gaki, you get to do any chores Hayate and Yugao-chan ask of you around the house while I'm gone. And seeing as how they are fairly busy doing what they do you're gonna have your hands full."

" _Knew it_ ," Naruto really felt like punching or striking himself with his staff for mouthing off… well mouthing off about Anko while she was nearby at least. Still it could have been a hell of a lot worse, but it still sucked nonetheless.

"Anko that isn't necessa-" Yugao was cut off by Hayate.

"That's fine," he said and got a look from Yugao. "Send him over tomorrow morning. We'll have things for him to do then."

"Perfect, glad we could work this out," Anko smiled, put her ward down. Naruto looked ready to cry.

" _My Sunday,_ " as of now, Naruto's weekend wasn't looking too well at the moment. When he finished up Hayate sent Naruto and Hottomaru on their way. Naruto limped as they left, exhausted from everything that happened. Anko having long since left, having only returned to inform Naruto on what she wanted him to do during her absence, her mission having been pushed half a day early. As Naruto and Hottomaru were now out of sight, Yugao rounded on her lover.

"What are you doing?" Yugao asked him.

"What? We get free labor and it allows us to spent more quality time together," he winked at her. The woman blushed and had to admit that last part actually sounded pretty good really, "Besides, word through the grapevine is that the kid's not going to be a dead ringer for Dead Last anymore," Hayate hadn't believed it either like the other rumors but what just happened now made him think otherwise.

"Really? Anko's teaching methods are actually getting results?" Yugao couldn't wholeheartedly believe it. Teaching wasn't really Anko's forte, evidence by the number of T&I candidates that switched divisions after her little demonstration. Ibiki was having a hell of a hard time trying to get new recruits and having little success because of the rumors that spread like wildfire.

"Apparently," he found it shocking too. "Actually this gives me an idea."

* * *

 **(Sometime Later)**

"Ugh," an exhausted Naruto plopped down on the stool, head lying flat on the counter of Ichiraku Ramen.

"Training hard I see," Ayame chuckled when Naruto groaned some more. "What will you have, Naruto-kun."

"The usual, please," Naruto spoke.

"Arf!"

"And something for him," the boy added.

"You got it," she went on to making his order. "So what was it you were doing?" she asked him.

"Anko tricked me into doing a D-Rank mission," he said, "And I got to do some more tomorrow."

"D-Ranks? You're not a Genin yet butI guess you doing chores old civilians or lazy ninja commission for newly graduates is ok," Ayame shrugged.

"You knew!" he was surprised, "How?"

"I spent a year at the ninja academy when I was younger. I wanted to get ahead so I learned a few of the more required textbooks. In the end it wasn't for me though so I went to a civilian school instead then a cooking school and graduated," she informed with a shrug as she moved on to prepare the next step for the dish.

"Could have told me what D-Ranks were about," he grumbled, followed by his stomach.

"Hungry, huh?" the boy's stomach growled again. Ayame knew that ninja had a high metabolism so it wasn't uncommon for them to eat more than four meals a day with the amount of calories and fat they burned.

"Starving," he answered, his response jogging something in his mind, "Hey, Ayame-neechan, you got any more books on cooking? I'm almost done with the one you gave me."

"Really?" the young brunette was quite surprised by this, "I think so. I'll have to check in the back when I get the chance. The evening rush hour is about to start soon and I need to prepare. Dad's gone to do something so I'm on my own for the next little while."

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Mastering Cooking for Dummies!**

 **Main Quest: Master the skill Basic Cooking Skill!**

 **Main Quest Completion: +150 REP with Ayame and Teuchi, +250 EXP, Unlock Intermediate Cooking Skill**

 **Accept? (Yes/No)**

Naruto sighed as a quest popped up and accepted. It wasn't that he didn't care but the young blond was too tired to be really enthusiastic about it at the moment. " _Oh, well. At least it brings this skill to the next level._ "

"Thanks, neechan," Naruto said.

"No problem," she called back, "We have little use for those books anyways. Dad mostly keeps them for nostalgia and makes copies of them every few years or so."

"Why?"

"Dad used to be a Cooking-Nin," Ayame told him, much to his shock.

"Old-Man Teuchi used to be a ninja?" it would explain why he couldn't see his stats.

"Yeah, a pretty good one too, or so he says," Ayame proceeded with the next step. "Dad was a Tokubetsu Jonin and a master chef by the time he reached his early twenties. He often said his cooking could revitalize a ninja in a matter of minutes. Something his teacher passed on to him before she left for Hi no Kuni's capital. Some plump Akimichi woman if I recall," was all she could remember.

"Really? Why's he not a ninja anymore?" he winced as Ayame stopped cooking and guessed it was bad.

"Sorry, Naruto, but that's for dad to talk about," she knew he was merely curious and didn't mean any harm by asking but it wasn't for her to tell.

"Sorry, neechan," Naruto was mentally kicking himself. Most likely it had to do with the **Permanent Crippling Injury** status effect.

 **Your luck has held out and your reputation with Ayame holds strong.**

"It's no problem," she waved it off, "Order up," Ayame then placed a large bowl of miso pork ramen in front of him and some grilled meat for Hottomaru. "Enjoy!"

Saying a quick prayer Naruto split his chopsticks down the middle and both he and Hottomaru ate theirs meals peacefully.

* * *

(With Anko)

"Hmm, dango and sweet bean soup, perfect combination," Anko purred as she noshed on her meal. A series of miniature skewers forming the Konoha symbol on the wall to her left.

"You keep eating those in excise amounts and you're gonna lose that figure of yours, Anko," Yugao spoke as she and Hayate sat down beside her.

"Yeah, like that will ever happen," Anko seriously doubted she'd lose her perfect figure, "What do you two love birds want?"

"Actually this is Hayate's doing," Yugao informed her fellow purple haired kunoichi.

"Really? Mr. Ballerina here?" Yugao chuckled lightly.

"You're never going to stop calling me that are you?" Hayate deadpanned.

"Hey, you were the one dancing in the forest," Anko smirked.

"I wasn't dancing I was – Ah, forget it," the man wasn't about to get drawn into this argument again. The incident had been him practicing his swordsmanship and the particular techniques he was honing had made it look like he was doing a series of feminine dance moves.

"Anko, be nice," Yugao told her friend. The woman knew it was merely Anko being herself and she and Hayate were good friends despite always teasing him like this.

"Ah, you're no fun," she huffed, "So what's up?"

Knowing she was now taking this seriously, Hayate began, "To start I want to know if the rumors regarding Naruto are true."

"Which ones?" there were several rumors revolving around Naruto so knowing which one he was referring to was sort of difficult to ascertain.

"Him no longer being a shoe in for Dead Last and him having an affinity for fire and wind," he elaborated.

Cocking an eyebrow at why he was asking this, it took the woman a few seconds before she realized where this was going. Yugao too was an intelligent woman, having joined Anbu when she was just child, and easily put two and two together.

"You're thinking of teaching the gaki some kenjutsu, aren't you?" it wasn't uncommon to see Futon and Katon techniques being used alongside kenjutsu. Futon could be used to increase the cutting power of swords and create vacuum blades while Katon made the blade hot enough to cut through thick armor like warm butter and set things alight from the intense heat.

Hayate nodded. The man was one of the very few practitioners of the **Konoha-Ryu Kenjustu** (Konoha Style Sword Techniques). The style and school originating from the Senju Clan and founded by Senju Tobirama, a master kenjutsu user and one of the few Konoha ever had in history. The Konoha-Ryu Kenjutsu fighting style revolved around incredible speed, unexpected feints, and pinpoint precision. All of which were a part of Senju Tobirama's fighting style, the fact the man was known as the fastest individual of his time made it a deadly fighting style.

Mixed with Hayate's own flair and prodigious skills in kenjutsu the style had even more techniques added to it. Hayate had been looking to pass down the art to someone who could use it to its fullest. It was easier said given the requirements needed to use some of the techniques and most would be ninja in Konoha weren't disciplined enough or preferred using and learning ninjutsu than learn the art of the sword.

"The amount of Konoha-Ryu Kenjutsu practitioners in the village are few in number, Anko," Hayate muttered, "and that number gets smaller and smaller as the years go by," once a ninja was promoted to Chunin or Anbu they were required to learn the basics and be proficient at it at an acceptable level but no more than that.

Yugao understood why he was so passionate about the matter. The woman herself was a practitioner but she and others had to learn from Hayate instead from another Anbu superior, it was one of the reasons why they fell in love with one another. Their love of kenjutsu and the amount of time they spent together. Both were prodigies in kenjutsu and while Hayate being the better of the two in terms of skill Yugao was ultimately the stronger of the two, a fact that Hayate wasn't ashamed to freely admitted.

"I know, koi, I know," the small amount of practitioners was a combination of some dying, either of old age or in the field, or having no student or any interested in learning the art.

"You know nothing is set in stone, right? I can ask him but ultimately it's up to the gaki," Anko told him, "He's gotten better but what makes you think he has the discipline to learn kenjutsu? It ain't for everyone you know."

"I know. But for some reason I have a feeling about this kid. He survived training from Anko Mitarashi herself. The Queen Sadist of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Division," Yugao chuckled at that and Anko puffed her chest out with pride.

The sadistic woman had taken a liking to that particular title, even saying they should bow in her presence as a joke sometimes. "If he can handle that then maybe he has what it takes to learn this kenjutsu and make it great again," it was gamble, there was a chance it wouldn't work or Naruto not be interested, but at this point it he was willing to risk it. If Konoha academy students saw the Dead Last use the Konoha-Ryu Kenjutsu to great effect and how strong he was it would drive many to start learning it themselves. It wasn't perfect, and he knew some wouldn't go far in it, but it was a step in getting a once renowned art back in the spotlight.

Yugao merely sighed. She knew that once Hayate got like this he was determined to see it through, "Besides if that kid gets better at it he can teach other generations too," there was a hint of remorse in his voice as he said this and Anko winced as she knew what he was talking about.

When Hayate and Yugao first became a couple and as the years passed by the prospect of having children had often made its way into the conversation. Anko herself hadn't cared for the whole becoming a mother lifestyle like some of her female friends but respected their decision nonetheless.

During the Era of Warring States shinobi often married in secret with few knowing, and had children at a young age, a practiced that was still used to this day because their hazardous lifestyle often led to a reduced lifespan. It was much higher than what it used to be in the Era of Warring States, but still fairly low.

It was only until recently that both discovered having a child would be difficult for both of them. Both were fairly young, still in their early twenties, but both suffered from medical conditions. Yugao had a condition that while carrying a child would not be a problem getting pregnant due to not being very fertile was. She was still capable of becoming a mother, but the chances were low compared to most women.

In Hayate's case it was similar. His chronic cough and somewhat sickly appearance compared to when he was younger were the result of a poisonous gas, one that Anko had found impressive, during an ambush some years back. Of the ninja that went on that mission Hayate was one of the lucky few that managed to live to tell the tale. Being one of Konoha's best toxicologist Anko and other medics managed to make an antidote in case it was ever used again and those that managed to escape recovered. Unlike the others who made full recoveries, Hayate unfortunately had been left with some ill side effects that were beyond the medics or Anko's ability to remedy.

Though lucky to be alive the man was left with a chronic cough from a damaged lung. Thankfully he had no fear of it turning malignant and it was doable to live with. The man having developed a way to stop the coughing when he needed to. It was minor really. The other effects hadn't been discovered until later. One being the poison greatly reduced his stamina, muscle strength and speed to the point he needed to compensate by augmenting them with chakra. Whereas before it was pure muscle work. It also impaired his ability to properly develop muscles and increase his chakra reserves. And lastly it had greatly reduced the virility of his sperm.

All in all, and while Hayate and Yugao hadn't lost hope, the chances of either of them conceiving a child with one another in the future was very low. The doctor stating that the chances of them getting pregnant being less than nineteen percent. With medication and procedures the chances were higher but still below forty percent.

Hayate had no intention of seeing another woman, Yugao was the only one for him, and the fact that he may not have children to pass on his art made him feel empty. There was no doubt in his mind that both he and Yugao had every intention of teaching their children kenjutsu. But at the moment it wasn't happening any time soon. " _At least with this kid I can potentially pass it on, maybe even have him teach my kids when I end up having some._ "

While he could live to a ripe old age, few ninja managed to live past their forties and Hayate was more or less plateauing at the moment in terms of strength. At least with Naruto and Yugao he'd have two who could teach his children should he pass on.

"I'll talk to him and see if he's interested. You know there's the chance of him not wanting to learn kenjutsu, Hayate," Anko informed him once again and the man chuckled, it was a possibility but a low one.

"I know, but you and I both know how that kid goes on about wanting to be Hokage and becoming an awesome ninja. If I offered to teach him kenjutsu I doubt he'd *cough* hesitate to learn."

The woman had to concede with that point. It was common knowledge around the village how adamant Naruto was about being Hokage. "Plus it also gets Yugao and I free labor to take care of the house," he smirked and Anko laughed. At times she often forgot how cunning Hayate could be.

"All right, I'll talk it over with him tomorrow morning before I leave for my mission. Just don't get your hopes up in case the gaki doesn't wanna learn," she informed him.

"That's fine," Hayate would be disappointed if it was the case but could live with it. Now all they needed to do was see if Naruto would agree and plan accordingly.

* * *

(A Few Hours Later)

"Ugh," Naruto yawned as he woke up from his nap. " **Time,** " he called out and saw that it was nearing 8PM. "Eh, still got time," he said as he gazed outside, "Starting to get dark."

He wasn't surprised as it neared winter. While Konoha still had a fair amount of light even at seven at night it started to dim when it reached eight o'clock during this time of year. A fair amount of activity still occurred around this time in the streets but not as much.

Looking at his CP and HP, Naruto was pleased with what he saw. Napping, unlike a full night of sleep only recovered, 50% of his CP and HP, the same thing happening with his fatigue level. Luckily Naruto hadn't used up all his CP and his HP hadn't gone down too low when he fought in the Zombie Dungeon, as such both of them were now fully restored.

"You ready to hit one last dungeon, Hotto?" he asked the ninken. Only for the tired ninka to bark lowly, yawn, and go back to sleep. "Lazy mutt," though Naruto guessed the dog had enough for one day. Chasing after him when he needed to give Hotto a bath had only made them both tired and the bath had sapped Hottomaru of his energy. "Guess you can stick this one out," Naruto got out of bed and proceeded to gear up before heading out.

Making his way towards the training field, Naruto was left confused upon seeing something different about the text box.

* * *

 **Night Time Dungeon Effect**

Dungeons can be entered during both cycles of the day. However, during the night the enemies encountered are greater in number, and stronger than their day time counterparts being two to three levels higher than normal. A bonus to this however is that the monsters encountered also give better EXP and loot than they would usually give.

* * *

"Just like Dragon Warrior," Naruto recalled how either stronger or certain types of monsters only came out at night in the game, usually in greater numbers too. Anko had told that the idea was based off of real life as some of the deadlier creatures slept during the day and came out at night.

Though seeing as he was at level nine, nearing ten, and the dungeon requirements for the next level were six to seven it wasn't that big of an imposition. "I wonder though," Naruto decided to try something to prove a hunch. "Yep, thought so."

 **Requirements for Area 3 Dungeon not met. Level requirements have been met but Area 2 Dungeon must be conquered before you can proceed to the next dungeon.**

Naruto wasn't surprised by this turn of events. Most games required you to complete certain tasks on a previous floor or dungeon before you could proceed to the next one.

"Ah, well, was worth a shot. **Training Area 2: Enter!** "

Like before with the first training area dungeon he entered, Naruto found himself enveloped in a flash of bright light. When it faded away Naruto was left momentarily stunned upon finding where he was.

"I'm underground?" it made sense really when he recalled the black tunnel from the **Boar Dungeon**.

"At least there's light down here," Naruto noted the bright green glowing moss that provided him with a good amount of illumination.

Feeling a change of pace, Naruto switched out his staff and took out Chichizouge in its place. The boy had only used the weapon a few times during his spars with Anko so now was a good a time as any to see how well it did against a dungeon monster.

As he walked down the tunnel, Naruto's **Detection Skill** kicked in and he got into a defensive stance. The boy had sensed two enemies coming his way, and from the sound of it they were coming in quick. While they were too far out at the moment Naruto could see their forms and knew they were small compared to the other enemies he faced.

As the sound got louder and the enemy neared, Naruto finally got a better look at what he was about to face, "Rats?"

* * *

 **Common Rat Level 7**

 **HP: 300**

 **CP: 75**

 **STR: 15**

 **VIT: 12**

 **DEX: 68**

 **INT: 3**

 **WIS: 30**

 **LUK: 30**

 **Defense: 0**

 **Perks:**

 **Nimble:** +30% increase to Movement Speed in and out of combat, +30% increase to Evasion, +10% Increase to Critical Hits

 **Keen-Senses:** +50% effectiveness to Detection Skill, Ignores Henge Skill, very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Disease-Ridden:** 25% damage increase to biting and claw techniques, 25% chance of causing **Disease** status effect if bitten

 **Description:** Rats are often seen as pests by many, these rats more so because of their larger size and greater number. Past attempts at eradicating them to contain these plague and disease ridden pests have all met with failure due to their astonishing and frightening ability to adapt and reproduce. Their sense of smell allows them to find food even deep underground and the ability to detect invaders who come too close to their nest. Though weak and small individually they make up for it in large numbers and they are very quick and difficult to deal with, especially when they run for reinforcements.

 **EXP Earned: 65**

 **Drops: ?, ?, ?**

* * *

"Great," Naruto muttered. The little vermin weren't going to pose much of threat in terms of power but speed wise and in large numbers instead. Naruto was quick but with their higher DEX, even with the +5 DEX boost from his dagger, and their **Nimble** Perk they were quicker than him. They were also the same size as Hottomaru which made the task of trying to hit them even more difficult compared to the boars.

"But damn if I don't like a challenge," he grinned and allowed the two rats to get in closer. When they were close enough, Naruto used **Reppusho** towards them. With the technique as it was now it not only gave a good boost in attack power but the chances of knocking enemies over were much higher too. Pouncing on the closest downed rat, Naruto stabbed Chichizouge at it only for the small rodent to evade it at the last second.

Naruto was barely left with enough time to raise his arm and slashed at the creature when it jumped at him. Once it was down once more, Naruto's second attempt at stabbing the evasive creature proved successful and continued to do so until it died. Once he was done, Naruto whirled around at the other rat and saw the creature disappear into the dark tunnel ahead of him.

"Damn," Naruto cursed. If what the description said was right the little bastard was most likely going for reinforcements. Chasing after him was a dumb move because not only would he be unable to catch up with it, he also had no intention of getting ambushed. The tunnels were illuminated but if they were anything like the video games he played then he didn't doubt there'd be darker areas with holes and crevices for them to suddenly pop out of.

Sighing, Naruto picked up the loot from the dead rat, which consisted of **Diseased Rat-Teeth** and **Diseased Rat-Nails** , both of which according to their description could be used in making low tier poisons. The revelation me him wonder if the **Zombie Ribs** he had could be used for the same purpose.

"At least I didn't get any rat meat," he shuddered. Naruto wasn't down with getting meat from a supposed diseased creature with the purpose of it being eaten. Even if the description said otherwise.

As he prepared to head out, Naruto's **Detection Skill** kicked in once again. "Seven coming this time," he sensed and decided to try a different strategy. Once the rats got closer, Naruto assaulted the closest ones with two kunai. One of them got cut and the other missed home. It didn't matter to the blond, however; as the boy merely held up a hand sign and watched the two exploding tags attached to said kunai explode and send the rats flying.

This left them all wide open for a counter attack and Naruto finished them all off with relative ease with a few placed stabs and slashes to the head. Much like many other creatures in video games the head was a weak point and striking there resulted in critical hits and additional damage.

Picking up his loot that consisted of four **Diseased Rat-Teeth** and five **Diseased Rat-Nails,** Naruto dusted himself off and headed out into the tunnels.

* * *

(Meanwhile in Naruto's Apartment, Sometime Later)

As Hottomaru slept peacefully in his bed, having peed on the footrest a few weeks back and in his mind claiming it as his, the young pup's ears and legs twitched every so often. The ninken was having a dream of chasing down dangerous wildlife and showing them who was boss.

So focused and tired was he that the ninken didn't sense the intruder outside the door. Slowly and silently, the door handle to the apartment turned and the door soon opened. A figure covered by the darkness of the apartment stealthy walked into Naruto's home.

"Place needs some cleaning up," the intruder muttered lowly. The academy student's apartment was of decent size but still left much to be desired. There was dust and stains in a few places but the amount of dishes and the heavy smell of ramen was as bit much.

Making their way towards the boy's room the intruder opened the door slowly once more and spotted the sleeping form of Hottomaru. But no Naruto in sight. " _Damn it, he's not here,_ " the intruder cursed at their luck.

" _No matter, the mutt will do just fine. Good thing I know how to mask my scent,_ " the person smirked devilishly as they grabbed a hold of Hottomaru and quickly injected him with a needle before the ninken went limp and stopped moving.

"Time for a little payback," phase one was complete. Now on to phase two.

* * *

(With Naruto)

As close to an hour passed away, and as he fought more and more rats that came his way, Naruto found himself bored. The young boy had already managed to kill twenty some **Common Rats,** eleven **Black Rats** , and five **Giant Rats** , the latter two were tougher but not by much. The **Giant Rats,** as the name said, were twice the size of **Black Rats** , which themselves were the size of **Wild Boars**.

Truthfully at first it was a bit of a letdown really, he had expected something more, even with the **Night Time Dungeon Effect**. Though guessed that because of his higher level, and because it was a low level dungeon, and better skill set it was bound to occur. The boy had hoped it wasn't to be so soon though.

That all changed when Naruto had gotten himself ambushed when he entered a large cavern a few minutes ago and rats began to fall on top of him. The rats had gotten in a few good hits and given him the **Disease** status effect as a result. As a result the boy's movement and techniques weren't as effective. Use of his remaining exploding tags was a no go as the cavern was much too wide and offered the rats ample time and room to evade the explosion they'd cause.

" **Ryoku Boku** (Power Strike)!" Naruto slashed the head off a **Black Rat** and watched as it vanished into a series of particles.

"Ki-ki-ki!" was the chattering that came from the other rats. Where there was once eleven rats in total was now only three. One of them, a **Giant Rat** , felt provoked and rushed at him.

" **Katon: Hidama no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Fireball Technique)!" four fireballs came into existence and lit up the cave even more in an orange hue as they sailed at the large creature. Quickly following up with a **Reppusho** to enhance them, the giant rodent only managed to evade two of the fireballs and was set alight by the harmful flames. Closing in, Naruto performed a series of quick stabs and slashes before he maneuvered behind the large beast. " **Kentotsu** (Backstab)!"

Stabbing deeply into the creature's back Naruto was happy to see it dissipate into nothingness. The blond didn't bother to look for the other two remaining rats, his **Detection Skill** informing him they had both fled the scene.

"So much for being bored," Naruto laughed, and he was honestly happy that he was finally getting a challenge. While he was happy to have leveled up a while back it still didn't change the fact that it had gotten too easy. While Naruto didn't care all that much for difficulty levels during games he wasn't the type to place the setting on easy mode. It wasn't that fun or challenging in his personal opinion. **"Status Effect!"**

 **Status Effect**

 **Malnourished:** Hampered physical growth rate, -25% to VIT, DEX, and STR stat base, +20% vulnerability to poisons

 **Diseased:** -25% to all stats, -25% Effectiveness from Healing Techniques and Items. (1 Min Remaining)

"Eh, not too bad," technically speaking it sucked as it greatly brought down his stats but at the same time it was only temporary and had offered a better challenge. As he collected all the dropped loot, Naruto noticed that the cave was starting to get brighter. "Daylight?"

He immediately threw that thought away, he had only been here for an hour not an entire day and he was underground. A fire then? Was someone else in here?

"KI KI KI!"

"Definitely not a person," he noted while the loud screech echoed in the cavern and Naruto saw the form of a large, and mysteriously, flamed covered rat. "The hell?" this was a first if he ever saw one. The boy guessed this was the dungeon boss and used **Observe** on the flame covered creature.

* * *

 **Hinezumi (Fire Rat)** **"Kaso"** **Lv 10 (Rare Spawn)**

 **HP: 1150**

 **CP: 400**

 **STR: 45**

 **VIT: 40**

 **DEX: 90**

 **INT: 16**

 **WIS: 30**

 **LUK: 30**

 **Defense: 50**

 **Perks:**

 **Flame-Fur** : Immunity and Absorbs fire based attacks, +25% Resistance towards wind based attacks, +30% of Burning if Touched, +30% Physical Damage Increase, +50% Increase to fire based attacks, fire based abilities are negated if fur becomes wet

 **Nimble:** +50% Movement Speed in and out of combat, + 50% Evasion, +25% Increase to Critical Hits

 **Keen-Senses:** +100% effectiveness to Detection Skill, Ignores Henge Skill, very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Disease-Ridden:** 50% damage increase to biting and claw techniques, 50% chance of causing **Disease** status effect if bitten

 **Description:** One of the few legendary fire rats of mythology that still remain. Though small compared to other Rare Spawn and Bosses this large rat is very quick and its fire-coated skin makes it a formidable opponent. However, unlike its ancestors of old that once had a decent relationship with humans this flamed covered creature has cast aside the old ways. Now it cares only for its well-being, even if it means running away from a battle and leaving its companions to their demise.

 **EXP Earned: 825**

 **Drops: ?, ?, ?**

* * *

 **Rare Spawns**

Rare Spawns are unique one-of-a kind enemies that are difficult to locate as they appear at random in any part of a dungeon they reside in. They are similar to bosses as they are tougher than normal enemies as not only do they give a great amount of EXP but sometimes drop rare loot that you can't find anywhere else. Such loot include unique weapons, armor, items, even quest starting ones.

 **Note:** Only a few dungeons have Rare Spawns. Unlike bosses and regular enemies that respawn after a certain amount of time, or reentering an area or dungeon, Rare Spawns do not. The time limit for respawning varies. For some it takes days because of the rewards they give, even then a Rare Spawn will not appear at the same location or drop the same loot consecutively.

* * *

As Naruto read the description the boy was conflicted. On one hand the creature was going to give him a good amount of EXP and a rare drop, but on the other hand the stats and perks it had was not going to make this fight easy. Naruto wouldn't be able to use any of his elemental ninjutsu as fire would only make be absorbed and futon damage was now cut down by twenty five percent in effectiveness. This meant this was mostly going to be a physical fight.

His mussing was cut short, unfortunately; and the boy was forced to dodge when the rat charged at him with blazing speed. A trail of flames following behind it as it rushed by.

"Great," Naruto muttered and switched from his dagger to his staff. He was confident but Naruto knew he was going to need to keep his distance against this thing. His dagger was the better weapon but his staff allowed some distance. Naruto had no intention in getting scorched by this creature.

" **Ninpo: Goriki** (Ninja Art: Hard Strength)!" a surge of power flowed through him as he used the technique. As the rat charged at him once more, when it got close enough, Naruto struck at the ground where it was going to be. Though he missed when it dodged, the blond saw a decent size spider web crack forming on the ground.

"Damn!" Naruto was surprised at his new found strength but that surprise soon turned into a grin as he eyed the rat. Though he was slower, his ninjutsu practically useless and he was alone, Naruto knew this was going to be an interesting fight to say the least.

"Ki ki," Kaso squeaked at him and the flames on its fur grew larger, brighter, and from the change in temperature he felt, hotter too.

"Bring it you garbage eating piece of shit," Naruto taunted the creature. Naruto didn't know if it could understand him but the fire rat charged at him even faster than before and the boy was forced to block its attack.

"Ow," he grunted as the hot flames licked at him and forced Naruto to retreat, but the rat didn't let up and followed him and continued its assault. "Damn it!" he grunted once more. The damage wasn't high but it didn't take a genius to figure out that if it continued like this the damage would start to stack up.

They continued this dance for a couple of minutes, to which Naruto had managed to dodge and evade it better this time. Once more the rat rushed at him, but Naruto was better prepared now and struck when it pounced. The rat gave a loud squeak and was sent flying, a very good chunk of its HP being taken in the process. But the creature managed to right itself as it landed and put some distance between itself and Naruto when he tried to land another blow.

"Damn he's quick," Naruto scowled at the rare spawn. The strike had taken a little over one hundred of its HP but it was a lucky blow. Naruto wished he had used **Saigeki** (Crushing Strike) instead as it would have potentially rendered it immobile and at his mercy. As it was Naruto and the rat merely looked at one another, neither attacked. While the rat had the advantage in speed and its unique defense, Naruto had the upper hand in strength and cunning.

Quickly glancing around the cavern Naruto kept his guard up but slowly moved and never took his eyes off of the rat. Going back to the back to the tunnel that he came from, Naruto took out a set of kunai with exploding tags attached at the end and proceeded to throw them behind him. The boy then put some distance between him and the tunnel he laced with explosives and subsequently blew it up when he stood in front of the only other tunnel out of the cave.

"Now the only way out for you is through me," if it was anything like its weaker companions he knew it would potentially flee if given the chance. Naruto wasn't about to lose sight of his first rare spawn enemy. "That I'd be embarrassing," he muttered.

"KI KI!" the fire rat chattered at him and Naruto took this chance to bolt inside the tunnel. Though confused by the act, Kaso following after him. A decision the rat would soon regret. " **Futon: Reppusho no Jutsu** (Wind Release: Violent Gale Palm Technique)!"

"KI!" though the attack didn't really harm it the force from the technique combined with how narrow the tunnel was made it so the gall force was centered all on the rat the moment it entered the tunnel.

"You're mine, bitch!" Naruto took off like a shot at the temporarily dazed creature and struck it with **Saigeki**. Not wasting anytime, Naruto proceeded to rain as many **Power Strikes** on the rat as he could before it was surrounded by a large and powerful blaze.

"Damn it," Naruto cursed. A few more blows and the rat would have been dead. He had little time to think, however; as he felt the rat charge at him and the boy hardly had time to dodge this time. It was now much quicker and stronger. For the next few minutes the rat would charge in and attempt to strike him, and Naruto only just barely managed to keep up, block, or evade it.

When it rushed in once again, Naruto stuck out his staff and caused **Kaso** to trip over the weapon, the creature squeaking as it went skidding. Naruto took this opportunity to end this fight, but the rat recovered too quickly and the boy felt its head ram into his gut. His shirt now ablaze, Naruto was sent him tumbling to the ground instead of finishing off the rare spawn.

It didn't end there though as the rat jumped on him and attempted to bite his face. Naruto managed to stop it from doing so by horizontally sticking his staff in its mouth and held in at bay. With his greater strength the rat's attempts at biting him were proving fruitless. It only worked momentarily, Kaso was smart and quickly changed tactics and began to rake at him with its flame covered and disease ridden claws.

"Grr," Naruto grunted as he felt the pain inflicted on him by the appendages. Naruto already felt weaker and knew he was affected by the **Disease** status effect. His strength was still high but Naruto knew that each rake of its claws only took more and more of his HP.

Tucking in his legs, Naruto thrust outwards and double kicked the rodent in the stomach with all his strength. Combined with his **Ninpo: Goriki** it took not only a great deal of health but sent it tumbling away, but it managed to right itself pretty quickly.

Getting up as fast he could, Naruto tried to put out the flames from his armor but cursed even more when he saw **Kaso** retreat towards the tunnels. The Gamer wasn't going to let the rare spawn get away that easily and set off after the fire rat. When the retreating creature was just about to enter the tunnels, Naruto quickly formed a hand sign and saw the rat's only means of escape blow up.

*BOOM* the suddenness of the explosion almost knocked him off balance and rocked the cavern. The boy could only watch as the tunnel entrance collapsed and filled with rocks.

"Damn it," Naruto cursed as his vision was momentarily clouded by dust and flying rocks. When the dust cloud cleared, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief when saw loot outside the tunnel entrance. The evasive rat hadn't escaped in time. Kaso the fire rat was dead.

"Dumb rat," Naruto smirked. The boy had learned from the **Zombie Dungeon** and knew that there was a chance of the rat trying to make a break for it if it got the chance. Naruto was just glad he managed to place his remaining exploding tags he had near the tunnel entrance before he used **Reppusho** seconds later.

"Now, let's see what we got here," he smirked. The first item was a scroll, much like with the zombie and the boar the boy didn't bother wondering why it had it and just rolled with it.

* * *

 **Shunshin no Jutsu** (Body Flicker Technique) D-Rank. Lv. 1 Next Lv. 0/75. **CP** **usage varies on distance, time, and actions used.** A technique that allows a ninja to move short to long distances at incredible speeds, though more commonly used for short distances. This is accomplished by using chakra to temporarily vitalize every single part of the body and move at extreme speed. Though can still be intercepted by those with greater speed, visual perception, and reflexes. While a D-Rank technique it is difficult to master and use and requires a great amount of chakra control to properly utilize the technique without risks of injury.

* Increases evasion by 30% when activated.

* Increases speed by 30% when activated.

* Capable of becoming undetectable by others within 10 levels for certain amount of time.

 **Requirements Needed to Learn:**

* Must have mastered the **Kawarimi**

* Must have mastered **Water Surface Walking Practice**

* WIS level must be 60 or above to learn

* * *

"Well, this fucking blows," it was an awesome technique to learn but at the moment it was going to take a while before Naruto could even learn it. Sighing he put it away in his **Inventory Box. "** This next one better be good," Naruto wasn't disappointed.

* * *

 **Hinezumi no Kōgaito** (Crimson Cloak of the Fire Rat) **(Epic Quality)**

 **Back Armor**

 **Durability: 70/70**

 **Defense: 25**

 **Bonus Stats:**

 *** Negates fire based techniques**

 *** 25% effectiveness and increased power towards fire based techniques**

 *** Absorbs 25% of chakra from fire techniques**

 *** If struck by water its abilities are temporarily negated**

 **Description: An extremely rare and ancient object made from the hide of a legendary fire rat well over a thousand years ago. Few of these cloaks were ever made and all of them were thought to be lost or destroyed. The hide from the fire rat is composed of naturally occurring chakra absorbing fibers, allowing the cloak to both negate fire and absorb it, but has a terrible reaction towards water. Despite its ability to negate flames the protection is only offered if the body part is protected by the cloak. Unlike most cloaks the material used in making this is not only very durable but extremely light.**

* * *

"HOT DAMN!" Naruto cheered at the find. "In your face, teme! I got an awesome fire based tool and you don't!" it was practically Christmas for the boy and Naruto couldn't be any happier. "Totally makes up for the ball buster technique!" he grinned and decided to put it on, "Hmm, not bad," the hood that came with it was a nice touch too and he had to admit that deep crimson was a very good color on him. Even if it did sort of clash with his current attire's colors.

"Note to self: Future armor must not clash with cloak's color," Naruto wisely decided. Either way the cloak would still offer him better defense. Picking up the last loot, Naruto, though disappointed it wasn't something extraordinary, was happy to have found four thousand ryo nonetheless. Just more funds towards his future house.

* * *

(Sometime Later)

Naruto shook his head as he came out of the dungeon. Though he'd have loved to go to the next one his HP and CP were now at the half way point because of the boss battle. Taking in the fact that the next dungeon's enemies and boss were going to be much tougher. Despite the fact he had items that could recover his HP, his CP was a different story. The boy had found it ironic really. After he cleared the rubble from the tunnel he collapsed on **Kaso** , said tunnel had taken himdirectly to the rat's nest and the boss battle.

"King of the Rats my ass," Naruto scoffed. The boss fight wasn't tough, more annoying than anything. The Rat King was a bit taller than himself and had scabby and boil ridden black fur with bone like protrusions coming out of it at odd places.

The boss wasn't as fast compared to **Kaso** , fast still but nothing he couldn't handle. Essentially the fight revolved around him mostly fighting the boss' minions as he would get in a few blows and then make a run for it. It would have been fine had it not been for the boss's ability to debuff him with both the **Disease** and **Poison** status effects. The latter one taking 24 HP every three second for thirty seconds, which added up after a while.

In the end though, Naruto had decided he had enough. After dealing with the Rat King's minions he had used his **Detection Skill** to find out which tunnel he was coming out of. The boss of the rats and his new minions had little time to react when Naruto bellowed a **Katon: Rasen Hoen no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Spiraling Phoenix Flame Technique). The technique resulted in the tunnels lighting up and spew forth red hot flames.

Though it had taken a bit out of him as the technique was still difficult to use, Naruto was just happy the damn rat was dead. The Rat King wasn't tough compared to Kaso, but he was annoying as hell with his hit and run tactics. "So that's what it feels like," he realized at the time.

Sadly, unlike Onibuta, Naruto wasn't greeted with the sight of a treasure chest key or weapon, much to his disappointment. Instead he was given a scroll for a poison based technique called **Ninpo:** **Dokkasō** (Ninja Art: Toxic Luster Claw). An awesome C-Rank technique that converted one's chakra into poisonous and corrosive chemicals and made the nails on their hands more claw like. Unfortunately, he was unable to learn it as he needed to know **Basic Medical Ninjutsu** , **Basic Toxicology** and didn't have a high enough WIS level.

So all he got in the end from the boss were two vials of **Low Grade Corrosive Poison** , a recipe for making said poison, and a **Large Disease Rat-Teeth.** The boy wasn't pleased with the rewards of this level and didn't have any intention of returning unless it was to potentially get another **Crimson Cloak of the Fire Rat** to sell. Naruto had no doubt it would sell for a ton of money, assuming he could find **Kaso** again of course and he dropped it once more.

"Lousy dungeon," Naruto muttered. The only saving grace was getting the cloak, which he put away for the time being and made his way back home. Though he wasn't tired he still had stuff to do tomorrow, "Thanks a lot, Anko," he grumbled, and he wanted to get enough sleep. Hopefully he could go back into the **Zombie Dungeon** before the week started. The boy had no doubt that his weekdays were going leave him too occupied to go into the dungeons. Especially since Anko had given him stuff he needed to do, on top of the training she was having him doing.

"*Sigh* _That damn woman's a slave driver_ ," Naruto decided not to vocalize his thoughts on the off chance Anko was nearby. The boy was going to have to up his **Detection Skill** and learn other variations to prevent being sneaked up on.

As he arrived at his apartment complex, Naruto stopped as he saw a light in his room. The boy tensed for he knew he had not turned on any light when he left. Someone was breaking into his apartment and dread fell over him as he realized something else.

"Hotto!"

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Level: 10 Next Level: 4239/7600**

 **Title: Academy Student**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 2150**

 **CP: 3350**

 **STR: 40.5**

 **VIT: 55**

 **DEX: 62 (+5) = 67**

 **INT: 101**

 **WIS: 38.5**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 55**

 **Perks:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards

Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards reputation gain

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP towards Chakra Control

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards reputation gain, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Apprentice Zombie Slayer:** 40% increase attack and defense against Undead, +10 stats when facing Undead, +15% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Status Effects:**

 **Malnourished:** Hampered physical growth rate, -25% to VIT, DEX, and STR stat base, +20% vulnerability to poisons

 **Description:** Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently an academy student with inspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. At the moment, Naruto is considered by many as a shoe in for the title of **Dead Last.**

 **Money** : 108,640Ryo ~ (10,864$)

 **Stats: 7**

* * *

 **Omake: Told Ya!**

"Hmm, dango and sweet bean soup, perfect combination," Anko purred as she noshed on her meal. A series of miniature skewers forming the Konoha symbol on the wall to her left.

"You keep eating those in excise amounts and you're gonna lose that figure of yours, Anko," Yugao spoke as she and Hayate said down beside her.

"Yeah, like that will ever happen," Anko seriously doubted she'd lose her perfect figure.

(Years Later)

"Phew," Yugao wiped the sweat from her head. "That's enough for today," the thirty odd year old woman had done enough training for one day. Having been promoted to Anbu Commander after the previous one retired some years ago left the woman with little time to practice her kenjutsu like this. Oh, she was still one of the top ten best kenjutsu practitioners in Konoha but with her busy schedule she knew she could no longer maker such a claim if she didn't practice every now and then.

Making her way back her house, Yugao saw someone she had not seen in the last few months. "Anko!?"

"Yugao-chan!" the woman before left Yugao speechless. Where there was once a skinny and curvy young woman was a now a plump and chubby cheeked woman. "I haven't seen you in months!"

"Hey, Anko," Yugao was still shocked at seeing her friend like this before a smirk crossed her face.

"What?" Anko asked.

" _So it finally happened, huh?_ " the woman thought, "You look good."

"I got fat I know," the woman knew the thought crossed her mind.

"Oh, no, really you look good," it could have been a lot worse honesty.

"Ah, I'm not worried," the woman said and ate three dango sticks at the same time.

"Really?" ever since the Fourth Shinobi World War ended the more physically demanding and intense missions and conflict weren't as as high anymore. Which meant that a lot of shinobi weren't as physically active.

"Yeah, I'm fine, this is nothing," Anko said. "I can get rid of it in no time, anytime I want," she boasted.

Yugao frowned, "I doubt it'll be that easy, Anko," ninja did have high metabolisms and burned fat more easily and quickly than civilians but it still took time for it to happen. That metabolism wasn't as high when they got older though, "It will take you at least three to five weeks to lose all that fat. Maybe even more with your eating habits, Anko."

"Wanna make a bet?" Anko smiled at her friend.

" _Even when she smiles it still sends chills,_ " Yugao knew Anko had mellowed out a bit since a decade ago but the woman hadn't lost her sadistic streak. "Terms?"

"Simple, I lose all this fat before three weeks and you have to treat someone at Yakiniku Q for a whole week. And if I don't then you can have me do anything you want for the same amount of time," Anko said.

"Deal," Yugao smirked and both women shook on it.

"Anko-sensei!" Yugao looked behind her and saw a dark skin and plump young girl call out to them.

"Chocho!" the woman greeted her close student with a hug. "Yugao this is Akimichi Chocho. Chocho, Yugao's treating us to lunch today."

"Yah!"

"Huh? I never-" an aura of chakra suddenly surrounded Anko and to the Anbu Commander's fascination and horror, Yugao watched as the plump purple haired woman revert back to her skinny self in a matter of seconds.

"Told ya, I could do it," Anko merely stood there with her hands on her now slender waist, a wide smirk crossed her face as Yugao continued being speechless.

"I have a very good relationship with my students, Yugao. Chocho's father actually let me learn this neat little trick," her smirk got even wider.

"But, but, that's cheating!"

"Says who? We never said I couldn't do this to lose the weight," Yugao realized then and there she had been played like a fiddle. "Now about lunch?"

Yugao was thankful for being in the Anbu. Had it not been for her high rank pay, and she was glad it was only those two, she had no doubt she'd be forced to take out a second mortgage on her house. Both Anko and her student had eaten her out of a month's pay in a week.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Lessons Taken to Heart**

* * *

Naruto rushed towards his apartment as though a mob or horde of enemies were after him. The very life of his ninken was potentially at stake. "Please be ok, please be ok," he continued to repeat and prayed his ninken came to no harm.

Bolting up the stairs and slamming into his apartment door, making a huge crack in the wood as a result, Naruto soon found his head wrapped up tightly and felt a prick in his neck. Though he struggled valiantly, the boy soon felt his body go numb and darkness take him.

"Wasn't expecting this but it works all the same," the intruder voiced, "Now onto the final phase."

* * *

(Sometime Later)

"Ugh, shit," Naruto groaned as he woke up from his slumber. Trying to get up, Konoha's resident jinchuriki realized that he was bound very tightly to a chair. Trying to reach for a kunai or sharp object was of no use either. Whoever did this to him had taken away any method he could use to escape, "Should have really paid more attention when Iruka-sensei demonstrated the **Nawanuke no Jutsu** (Rope Escape Technique)," the irony wasn't lost on him.

"You're awake, good," a voice from the darkness suddenly spoke out.

"Huh?" Naruto didn't know if his mind was playing tricks on him but he swore he recognized the voice, "Anko?"

Suddenly the lights came on and Naruto was greeted with the sight of his mentor, "Hey, gaki. What's up?" Anko chirped at him.

"Anko? Wha… What the hell are you doing to Hotto?" he asked upon spotting his ninken in her arms.

"*Whine*" the small ninken whimpered. Currently he was dressed up in a humiliating outfit. A female outfit, too.

"Oh, this? Just getting a little payback," she shrugged, "Picture?" she asked him and showed a series of humiliating photos that involved his ninken.

"Why's he not moving?" Naruto knew that Hotto would be fidgeting or vocally protesting this.

"That would be thanks to this little baby," she casually held up a vial of yellow liquid. "It's a paralyzing agent that takes away your ability to move or speak coherently."

"You drugged my dog!" he shouted.

"I did say I would get back at him, but because I need to leave tomorrow I decided to do it tonight instead. Honestly I was going to do the same to you but you were out," she said and Naruto paled.

"You were gonna drug me too?" he was a little disturbed by how casually she said it. "Wait a minute, you did drug me!"

"Ah, quit your bitchin, gaki, and don't worry about it. It'll wear off in an hour or so. I've done this to a few friends to get them to a surprise party, and to get back at some assholes. Think of it as an elaborate prank," she told him.

"Hey, I prank but even I think this going too far," he told her.

"Really? Cuz if I recall, you've broken into a few places before and set up quite the array of booby traps all rigged to go off if a single one gets triggered. Remember," she looked at him all knowingly and the boy blushed.

Naruto realized he had been caught. The blond had only done this a few times before to store owners or students who were complete assholes in his mind. Though he had gotten caught a few times, other times many had merely suspected him to be the culprit but since none of them could prove it he had been let go.

"Besides as your mentor I can classify this as training. And oh boy would you have failed spectacularly, gaki," Naruto looked at her in disbelief, "Fail? How could I fail?"

"Really?" here she put Hotto down and the ninken whimpered some more. "Let's start with your most recent failure. You saw your lights turned on and instead of either being smart about it, you let your emotions cloud your judgement and decided to come rushing in without a plan. Look where that got ya?"

Naruto blushed with embarrassment. Naruto had gotten better at controlling his emotions since he began training with her but the blond boy still had his moments.

"Secondly, you didn't know the Nawanuke no Jutsu to get out of this. Granted that's partially my fault. I should have asked if you knew it when we began training but that's like the basics of the basics. Though even if you did know it this is special rope that disrupts the chakra for that technique from being executed. Finally, improper locks or counter measures placed around the entrances of this place to prevent people from breaking into your house. Had I been an enemy I could have slit both your throats and been on my merry way, gaki," while Konoha was one of the Great Five they were far from perfect, it wasn't unheard of foreign or enemy ninja slipping in pulling it off. "Hell, I could have cut you open the moment you barged in here guns blazing. I've done it before, so I know what I'm talking about, gaki."

Naruto chocked and paled simultaneously at how she could say such a thing so casually and with a straight face. "You've killed people in their sleep."

Anko nodded, "In their sleep, when they entered their home, you name it, gaki. Some missions you'll need to undertake in the future will involve this kind of work. Depending on the circumstances you need to kill them in a specific way. Be it making it look like an accident or suicide."

Naruto understood but it didn't make it any easier. The academy had always been vague on this sort of thing. Up until now he had merely killed animals, not humans. The zombies were already dead, sort of, and didn't count in his mind. Naruto knew he'd be forced to do so in the future but knowing and accepting the reality of doing the deed were two completely different things.

"This is why the Rite is - was done in the academy, Naruto. Konoha needs to know that their future forces will have what it takes, to make sure they can stomach what others can't. To be a ninja means to endure what others can't. Otherwise our reputation and way of life goes down the shitter if we fail these types of missions. It ain't pretty, that I'll acknowledge, but it has to be done either way. You wanna be Hokage, endure this and become the best goddamn ninja there is," not once did Anko's voice waver and from the use of his name for the first time since this whole thing began, Naruto knew she was levelling with him.

Truthfully she hadn't meant for it to end up like this but for whatever reason she couldn't stop herself. As much as she wanted to deny it, Anko had a soft spot for Naruto. She had a soft spot for her student. " _Goddamn it, I'm turning into a pansy,_ " she found the whole situation ironic. For so long she ranted on about not wanting to take care or caring for snot nosed brats and now here she was getting all sentimental for one. Naruto was her responsibility and she'd be damned if she let anything happen to him or his ninken while under her care.

"Anyway, enough of this gloom, doom and heartfelt talk crap," she broke the tension in typical Anko manner, "But you're gonna need to put some defenses around this place. Not everyone in a ninja village is working for the same team as us," here she tossed him a scroll. "Don't open it up now, all I'll say is that it should stop others from breaking in."

"Thanks, Anko-sensei," the blond was sincere when he said this. It then dawned on Naruto that it was the first he ever called her that. Two firsts in one day.

"Sensei, huh? Hmm, I like it! Has a nice ring to it," she smirked. "All, right onto another subject. What'cha get this time?"

Naruto didn't doubt she knew he entered a dungeon but first things first, "You mind healing me and Hotto?" he couldn't exactly get out of this without showing off his **Ninpo: Goriki** to her. He wanted a few things to remain a secret. " _Payback when we fight._ "

"Aww, you're no fun," Anko pouted but complied and injected him and the puppy with their respective antidotes. "There we go, good as new. Next time don't ruin my fun, mutt."

"Grr," Hottomaru merely growled at the woman who paralyzed him. Some way or another she'd get her comeuppance.

"Don't you growl at me, poochie" she took out some pictures and he paled, "Unless you want the Inuzuka dogs seeing these," she smirked as Hottomaru hid behind Naruto with his tail tucked between his legs. "Good boy," she said and directed her attention towards her ward, "Spill."

"Honestly, other than me leveling up and getting a cool piece of armor, it sucked," his answer was simple and straight to the point. "Got a couple techniques such as the **Shunshin** (Body Flicker Technique) and the **Dokkaso** (Toxic Luster Claw) but I can't use em. Don't have the requirements."

"Don't doubt it. The Shunshin's a D-Rank technique but it requires a great amount of control to vitalize every single part of your body. You can hurt yourself pretty damn badly otherwise."

Anko wasn't lying as she knew firsthand on how much it could hurt. Even if one vitalized the muscles that moved the body, the brain wouldn't be able to register the images fast enough if it wasn't vitalized either. Basically, the person would be moving at extreme speeds blindfolded. Which was why high levels of chakra control was required alongside high levels of chakra.

"Still useful though, gaki. You'll just have to meet those requirements, simple as that. What was the other one?" she pried.

"A poison technique called **Dokkaso** (Toxic Luster Claw)," though it was cool Naruto wasn't really interested in learning healing techniques, poisons yes but not healing. Why bother wasting chakra when he had potions and items that would do that?

 **For thinking things-**

"Let me see," she asked him and gave the scroll he passed her a look over. "Damn interesting," considering who her former mentor was she had seen a variety of poison based ninjutsu. Poison laced kunai, expelling poison from her mouth, even poison being passed from her teeth like a snake. She had seen them and used most of them, but using them from her nails was new to her. Hell, it said the chakra could be moulded into a dangerous and potentially lethal whip.

"Mind if I have this?" it had been a while since she was interested in learning a technique and this one caught her interest.

"How much?" he asked her. He wasn't going to learn the technique but he damn well wasn't going to give it away for free either. Unique C-Rank techniques like this could bring him a good amount of ryo on the Abyss Auction House's website.

"Wanna run that by me again, gaki," it was ballsy move on his part she thought.

"You told me that ninja take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself. I have something you want, what's in it for me?" he smirked.

"Want a boob job?" her answer threw him off guard.

"Wha… What?" he blushed and Anko laughed at his look. " _God damn it._ "

"Oh, that never gets old," she laughed and wiped at tear from her eye before getting down to business, "But seriously now. How much you want, gaki?"

"200,000 ryo," he said with a straight face and Anko frowned. It was quite a bit of money after all but this wasn't you're run of the mill technique either. Technically speaking she would have demanded more but guessed Naruto was giving her a discount or was inexperienced at haggling. Either way suited her. Anko could easily afford it but the purple haired woman was a haggler for this sort of thing too.

"150,000 ryo," she countered and he shook his head.

"No way, 200,000 ryo," he said once more, his previous amount having not changed.

Scowling, Anko made another offer, "110,000 ryo, and I teach you how to make poisons and a useful technique when I get back," she countered.

His interest peaked, Naruto asked, "What sort of technique?"

"A useful one," Anko informed him.

"… A useful unknown rank one?" that was her best offer. "That's it?"

"Trust me you'll like this one," she told him. She wasn't lying either.

"… Make it 120,000, you teach me poisons, and you need to teach me a way to restore someone's chakra," he countered.

Anko didn't expect that, "Why do you wanna learn that?"

"Hotto doesn't have a lot of chakra so he runs out pretty quickly," he explained and Anko understood.

"I guess that's doable. To be honest I've only been taught the basic theory on how to steal someone else's chakra. Never really used it myself but the concepts between **Chakra Absorption Techniques** and the **Chakra Transfer Techniques** are similar so it shouldn't be too hard. If it can't be done, I'll teach you that other technique instead, ok?" Naruto nodded, it was fair in his mind.

"All right, gaki, you've got yourself a deal," to finalize it, Anko stuck her hand out.

"I want the ryo before you leave," Anko merely humphed but nodded before they shook hands and they sealed the deal.

 **Your Bartering Skill has increased by 1!**

"Fine," the woman realized she was probably teaching him too well. Speaking of which, "By the way, gaki. How would you be interested in learning kenjutsu?"

"Kenjutsu? Sweet!" though his Basic Bladed Weapon Mastery skill was useful and he learned techniques as it leveled up, knowing an actual style and its techniques could very well go a long way. "Hey, why didn't you teach me Kenjutsu before?"

"Me?" Anko shook her head, "I wouldn't know the first thing on how to wield a sword," the first time her master tried teaching her. Saying it didn't end well wouldn't do it justice. Skilled as she was in various fields, being skilled in the art of the sword she was not. The man had called her accident prone and a walking disaster when using a sword. "Hayate's interested in teaching you. Thinks you've got potential."

"The sick looking guy?" Naruto had his doubts but would take her word for it.

While it was a crude, Anko couldn't help but agree that it was an accurate description of the ninja swordsman, "Yep, but he's one of Konoha's best when it comes to Kenjutsu, probably would have been the very best had a set of circumstances not occurred," as much as she liked teasing him, Anko knew Hayate could have easily become a sword master with his skill. But life was a cold hearted bitch at times and it was not to be.

Changing the subject, Anko asked, "You get anything else?"

Judging from his face splitting grin, Anko could safely assumed he found something god, something very good. "Yep, but I ain't showing it," he grinned at her reaction.

"Fucking tease," she couldn't believe this kid. "Well, whatever. Other than telling you this I have nothing more to say. Oh, wait there was one more thing."

"What's that?" Naruto asked but suddenly found himself falling face forward. Another Anko behind him holding a needle in her hand.

"Nighty night, gaki," she grinned.

"Arf arf! Grr!" Hottomaru growled at her.

"Oh, pipe down, Poochie-gaki. Don't you wanna see your partner wearing this," the picture she showed him made him stop his growling. "I thought you'd see it my way."

* * *

(Next Morning)

"Huh? What the hell? God damn it, Anko!" Naruto groaned as he realized he'd been drugged, once again, by his eccentric and psychotic teacher. At least she was kind enough – or merciful enough – to put him to bed. Groaning, Naruto got up and waddled to the bathroom to go about his morning ritual.

"… WHAT THE BLOODY FUCKING HELL!"

Suddenly the door to his apartment opened up and Naruto spotted his cranky old landlord, "Brat! How many times-" the man's ranting was cut short as he spotted Naruto. His mouth moved but no words came out. Naruto honestly thought he was having a stroke. Slowly the man backed out into the hall and closed the entrance.

"BWAHAHAAHAAHA!" Naruto became flushed with anger at the man.

"It's not funny god damn it!" the embarrassed and angry blond shouted at him. Doubting he could be heard by the laughing landlord anyway.

Looking back in the mirror, Naruto closed his eyes, pinched his cheeks – hard – and opened them again. To his horror his hopes of this being a dream –more like nightmare- were utterly and completely dashed. Looking back at him was the face of a female geisha. One that mimicked his every move. In the reflective glass, the boy spotted ruby red lipstick, midnight black eyeliner, curled eyelashes, pale as snow skin adorned with a rosy blush, the whole regalia.

"Arf!" Naruto looked behind him and saw his ninken mirthfully rolling on the floor. This only made Naruto scowl even more and the boy was tempted to strangle his laughing partner. Tsume's punishment be damned.

His entire body trembling with fury, Naruto grabbed onto the wig and pulled with all his might, "OWW!" which was then considered a very dumb move on his part.

Deciding to take off his clothes, Naruto quickly changed his mind upon seeing a pair of medium sized pale looking breasts. Seeing them wasn't a big deal but not seeing something else was for the geisha looking boy. "What the hell? Oh, god damn it, did she give me a fucking sex change or something?" he wondered. For some reason he wouldn't put it past her. This was Anko after all.

" **Henge!"** he called out but nothing happened and the boy was still in her female looking form. "Oh, you're fucking shitting me," he cursed. Fear or not he was going to get Anko back for this.

"Arf, arf," he heard Hotto and the transformed boy just had about enough of it and moved towards the stripped puppy. As he did though he heard the fluttering of paper behind him and spotted something pinned to the back of his kimono. "This better not be a damn kick me sign," he groused and tore it off.

 **Dear, gaki.**

 **Hope you enjoyed my little gift to you. Took me a while but I managed to pull it off you are now one hundred percent female.**

"WHAT!" the boy felt faint as he read those words.

 **Just kidding. Really wish I was there to see your face when you read that part. But seriously, this little number is a special Henge I managed to put on you. It can be taken off.**

"Oh, thank you merciful kami," Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and continued to read.

 **However, I'm not telling you how. If you want to lose the breasts and get your dick back you need to rendezvous with Yugao and Hayate at their place.**

"Fuck that noise!" Naruto had no intention of letting anyone see him like this.

 **You're probably thinking there's no way in hell you're going to do that. You think you're going to manage to release this all by yourself. Sorry to bust your balls, or lack thereof, but it ain't gonna work, gaki. To make things more interesting, I put a seal on you that suppresses your ability to use chakra. That means you can't hide, run, or do anything to prevent my demands from being met. I also instructed those two not to change you back unless you get there by a certain time.**

Fuck," he groaned. There was no escaping it.

 **Good luck, gaki. See you in a few days.**

 **Love, Anko.**

 **Ps. I left a little something on that cute pale tight ass of yours.**

"Huh?" lifting the back of his kimono and looking in the mirror Naruto deadpanned when he saw what was there.

"This ass is property of the sexy and vivacious Mitarashi Anko," he read. "Oh, kami just kill me now," today just wasn't his day. Looking around his apartment Naruto noticed that any shred of clothing or fabric he could use to cover himself up was gone. The woman had been very thorough with her prank.

"Wait a minute."

Reaching out Naruto managed to take out his **Crimson Cloak of the Fire Rat** from his **Inventory Box.** As the technique didn't require any chakra to use it his ability to put and take things out wasn't disabled. "Nice try, Anko-sensei," he smirked and put the cloak on and covered himself up.

Walking out of his apartment, Naruto slowly made his way onto the bustling streets of Konoha. Covering his now female body as best as he could with his awesome cloak, Naruto walked as fast as he possiblly could. The kimono wasn't helping because of how close fitting it was and the cloak he held wrapped closely around his body to hide his identity didn't allow for swift movement on the moment. The fact that the kimono itself was seal bound to his body didn't help either.

"Just don't make eye contact with anyone. Keep your eyes on the ground and slowly make you way towards the house," he told himself.

"Arf!"

Naruto froze and spun his head around and spotted his grinning ninken, "Oh, shit."

Disguised as he was it would do him squat if Hotto followed him. By now many knew he had a ninken and with Hottomaru's easily recognizable looks many would put two and two together and figure it out.

"Hotto, go away!" he hissed lowly but the ninken didn't budge. "Oh, you little mother-"

Glancing around, Naruto speed walked as quickly as he could but the little shit that was his ninken easily followed him. "Go away!" he looked back as he turned a corner. "Oof!"

Naruto felt his head smack into someone and his unpreparedness made him and the individual fall on top of each other. "Ow."

"Hey! Watch where you're … going?"

" _Oh, kami no,_ " looking up Naruto's skin would have palled even further had the special Henge not be in place. In front of him was none other than Inuzuka Kiba.

"Hey, there," was the boy's attempt at being suave. "Let me help you," the boy helped the geisha up and Naruto felt the feral boy's hand brush against his ass a few times. Naruto was sorely tempted to beat the life out of him for that stunt.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" he asked the pretty geisha, as though he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Nowhere," Naruto opted to disguise his voice and glanced back at a smirking Hottomaru that had hidden himself away. "Just visiting family," he dusted and then covered himself up as fast as possible. Much to Kiba's displeasure.

"I'll help you," he offered.

" _Yeah, I bet you would,_ " despite the Inuzuka Clan heir's age, Naruto knew how lecherous Kiba was and didn't doubt the horn dog was simply doing this with the hopes of getting in his pants, " _Oh, sweet kami that sounds so fucking wrong,_ " the disguised boy was just about ready to hurl his guts out.

"You ok?" Kiba asked the girl. "You look ready to lose it."

"I'm fine," Naruto lied. The whole situation was very wrong and sick in his mind. "Thank you though."

"Maybe you should come over to my place for a while till you get better."

It was evident that Kiba was new at this despite his frequent boasted at the academy. Offering to take a girl to his place already without properly knowing her was a dumb ass move on his part. "It's alright, really."

"I insist," the boy pushed.

"Look asshole beat it," Naruto had enough and his real voice came out accidentally.

Stunned by the suddenness of it all, Kiba's mind soon registered the voice and an image popped into his mind, "… Naru-" the blond clamped his hand around Kiba's mouth.

"Shhh," he harshly shushed the Inuzuka heir, "You want the whole world to know?"

The boy merely gaped and almost seemed catatonic upon realizing the girl he was trying to pick up was Naruto of all people. The boy even had to swallow the bile that rose up from his stomach when he recalled him stroking his ass. "Oh, fuck no. Oh, sweet kami no!"

"Yeah," this was very awkward indeed in the blond - now dark - haired academy student's mind. Both males simultaneously wished they knew a way to annihilate this memory as though it never happened.

"What the fuck man!" the boy snarled, his confusion and disgust now replaced with typically Inuzuka anger. "Why're you dressed up like a chick? You a cross-dresser or transvestite who secretly gives hand jobs or something?"

Forcing down his own bile once more, Naruto shook his head furiously, "Fuck no! This is Anko's doing."

"Anko? The snake bitch?" Naruto nodded despite his lack of candor towards describing his mentor. Looking at the geisha transformed boy, and then up and down, Kiba cringed with sympathy, "I've only met her a few times compared to mom and sis, that last time being the longest," he and Akamaru shuddered, "but from what mom's told me I can see happening. Damn that's gotta suck."

Unlike his mother and sister who worked with Anko on a regular basis, and had a great relationship with her, Kiba didn't know Anko all that well. Hell, his sister told him Anko's relationship with them basically made her a family member in all but blood.

"Dude, you don't know the half of it," Naruto wouldn't wish this type of thing on anyone, " _…Well, maybe a few,_ " he mentally counted off those who wronged him in the past.

"So… are they real?" Kiba asked.

"What the hell, dog-breath!" the blond couldn't believe him.

"What? I'm just asking if they're real. It's not like I'm asking-"

"Ok, first off, I don't know. It's a special Henge she put on me so maybe," Kiba had to admit he was impressed as casting a **Henge** on someone else was much more difficult than doing it to yourself. The concept basically required one to manipulate the other person's chakra and surround them in a shell of their desired image. The Inuzuka Clan did it with their ninken by synchronizing their familiar's chakra with their own. Doing it this way made the process being much easier than with someone unwilling.

"Secondly, finish that sentence and I'll neuter you with a rusty spoon," he scowled.

"A spoon? Don't you mean kunai?"

"A spoon is dull you twit! It'll hurt a hell of a lot more!"

Kiba cringed and subconsciously covered up his manhood. Geisha Naruto was crazy Naruto. Crazier actually now that he thought about it. "So… What now?"

"Now I'm forced to walk to her friends place so I get rid of this damn thing," Naruto informed him.

"Well at least it can't get any w-Oh, shit," Kiba pointed across the street and Naruto turned green.

Across was a poster with his regular appearance and his now transformed appearance. Swiping it from the wall Naruto and Kiba began to read it and Naruto turned even greener. "Damn, that sucks man. I mean you've done some good pranks but she's got you beat on this. Seriously, telling the whole village that you had a sex change and you're willing to do-"

"Kiba do me a favor and shut the fuck up!" Naruto shouted at him.

"Ok, Naruko."

The boy blinked, "… What?"

"Naruko. Can't exactly call you Naruto anymore. Technically speaking you are a chick now," Kiba grinned.

Naruto merely remained stone faced upon hearing those words, "Ah-huh," he muttered and faster than he could react, Kiba felt a leg extending into his crotch and found himself screaming in pain a few octaves higher.

"PERVERT! SEXUAL HARASSEMENT!" Naruto shrieked in a feminine voice as he fled the scene. The boy spotted quite a few kunoichi approaching downed Kiba and he smirked as he made his way towards Hayate and Yugao's house. The Inuzuka Clan's heir screams of agony being music to his ears.

(Sometime Later)

"Oh, thank god you're back," Naruto didn't care if it sounded gay or not but he was glad to see his dick again.

"You know how that sounds, right?" Yugao asked him.

"Don't care," was his reply. After getting into a few other close calls on his way here the boy had almost come close to ending his misery a few times. His suffering didn't end there either. After Yugao and Hayate had a good laugh at his expense they made him get to work, while he was still looking like a geisha. When asked why he found out it was because he hadn't arrived on time.

Moving and doing things had been extremely difficult because of the kimono he wore and it had taken the boy an extra hour to finally finish all the chores that was needed to be done. Naruto vowed that Anko was seriously going to pay for this at some point. The only upside was him getting his pay from Anko, having been left with Yugao and Hayate, and his clothes back.

"When you're done admiring yourself, Naruto, I'd like to get started," Hayate called out and held a set of bokken in his hands. Doing as told, the blond boy stood in front of Hayate, "Right then, let's see what you got first."

Catching the bokken tossed at him, Naruto had to admit it had some weight to it despite being a piece of wood, "That bokken there has a seal on it designed to make it feel like you're holding an actual sword. Most bokken are light so when practitioners actually start using a sword for the first time it throws them off."

"Kay, so what do you want me to do?" he asked the man.

"Hold your horses. To start off you need to know a bit about the fighting style I'm going to teach you. The **Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu** is centered off of speed and deception. The techniques used in this fighting style require you to not only be quicker than others but fool them into thinking where you are going to strike. As such to properly use these techniques we're going to be honing your speed, reflexes, and basic swordsmanship at the moment until I feel you're read to learn some of the basic techniques. Got it?"

 **The skill Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu has become available. Would you like to learn it?**

 **(YES/NO)**

"Yes," was Naruto's answer to both, the action making a screen suddenly popped up at him.

 **Beginner's Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu.** Lv1. Next Lv 0/75. A skill that allows the user to use the sword fighting style of Konoha. Once used and created by Senju Tobirama, this sword style places a high emphasis on speed and deceit in order to properly utilize its techniques. At the moment, the skill set for beginners mainly focuses on speed and reflexes.

* Passively increases movement speed and evasion by 10%

* Passively increases the striking speed of bladed weapons by 10%

* Passively increases the critical hit rate of bladed weapons by 10%

* Passively increases stealth or sneak sword based attacks by 20%

 **You've received the cumulative perk Beginner Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu Swordsman. However, your current level only allows you to carry up to four perks. You can switch out a current perk with other ones whenever you are outside of dungeons and combat.**

 **Cumulative Perks**

 **Cumulative perks are great to have as unlike regular perks that remain the same no matter what happens these ones will get stronger depending on the actions taken or a criteria being accomplished. This means that whenever you level up you will gain additional Attribute Points boosts.**

 **You currently have two cumulative perks: Apprentice Zombie Slayer, Beginner Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu Swordsman**

" _Sweet,_ " Naruto couldn't believe his luck.

"You ready, kid?" seeing him nod Hayate began giving out commands, "Ok, then give me one hundred horizontal slashes and one hundred vertical ones," Hayate ordered the boy, "Get to it."

Shrugging, Naruto set off to do just that. His **Basic Bladed Weapon Mastery** was already at level six, nearing seven, thanks to the **Rat Dungeon.** Coupled with now learning this new skill it shouldn't be too hard to do. Swinging horizontally several times, Hayate ordered him to stop, "Ok, not bad for a beginner. You've got a decent grasp on how to swing a sword but you're stance is off a bit. Here, spread your legs apart a little more but keep them parallel to each, and have your left leg come back a little. Your shoulders shouldn't be tense either otherwise your swings won't be as fast. Only tense them when you swing downwards to put a little extra force into it or when blocking someone else's strikes. Try now," Hayate ordered him to go once more.

Already Naruto felt a difference. The boy felt more balanced and his swings were more fluid and agile than they used to be. Despite not looking like it Naruto had to admit that Hayate knew what he was doing. Once he was done this exercise the two moved on to a new one.

"Ok, kid, not bad. Do it again, only this time give me twice the amount of swings!"

Not once did Naruto complain. Every time he was done this set he was then asked to do it over again, and again. As the dozens of minutes continued to pass by and the new amount of swings he needed to perform had Naruto start to feel the burn in his arms until they felt ready to fall off.

"Ok, stop. Take a break," Naruto did as he was told and plopped down on the ground spread eagle style. "Catch!"

With what strength he had left in his arms, Naruto caught a bottle that held a weird and green liquid looking substance, "What's this?" he asked.

"Special drink that functions like a weaker version of a Military Ration Pill. It won't recover chakra but it'll help speed up your muscles recovery from the wear and tear along with giving you a little more energy. It's an old family recipe of mine. May not look like much but it works," Hayate boasted.

" _Yeah, if you don't mind wanting to hurl your insides out in the process,_ "Yugao mentally added. The woman watched on nostalgically as Naruto took a swig and proceed to do the same thing she did years ago.

"Blahh! What the hell's in this?" Naruto had tasted some pretty foul things before but this took the prize.

"What would you expect? Green tea?" while the taste of certain medicines could be altered to taste better the most effective ones for this sort of purpose usually had an awful or bland taste because of the ingredients needed to be used in making it. The more powerful ones such as Military Ration Pills had more powerful ingredients and stimulants. This gave more energy and versatile recovery but caused the body to crash and burn heavily after a certain amount of time had passed.

*Pffft* Wuss," Hayate muttered lowly as he heard Naruto complaining about the taste once more, "Keep drinking it. Won't work if you don't drink the whole thing."

Once Naruto was done drinking the god awful formula, both he and Hayate relaxed for a few more minutes before they got back to it. For the next few hours of the day, Naruto did what Hayate told him without any fuss. The blond jinchuriki did various exercises on blocking, redirecting, and countering. Had he been able to use his **Goriki** it would have most likely made it much easier but didn't want to risk being questioned.

Following that they then worked on Naruto's reflexes in close counters. This was done by Naruto having to dodge Hayate's fast sword slashes or risk getting hit by the bokken. More than several times did he struck in the legs, arms, or head. To make things even more challenging, the boy was forced to do this without the protection of his own bokken.

"Ha!" Hayate swung upwards and nearly struck Naruto in the chest.

"Ugh," the sweat covered boy grunted and watched as the tip of Hayate's bokken knick his hair. The boy knew he couldn't stop moving. Doing so meant he'd get hit, which in real life could lead to death or potentially dismemberment. In this case it would lead to pain. Despite how they looked the wooden constructs were very hard, Naruto would attest to that himself.

"Faster!" Hayate ordered as he upped the speed of his swings, stabs, and overall movements.

"Shit!" Naruto ducked low and backpedaled from the man's swings and stabs at him. Naruto's legs were burning from the swift and constant movement he was forced to do. More than once did the boy find himself on his ass from a sudden movement and he was forced to roll and get back up just as quickly or risk getting struck by the wooden sword.

When Hayate swung once again, Naruto lashed out with an unexpected kick that left that took the sickly man by surprise. "Not bad," he congratulated the boy for his quick thinking, "but this is a game of dodge!"

"Ah!" Naruto hissed as the bokken smacked against his knee.

"Ha!" Hayate's next swing was low, aimed at his feet, and Naruto was forced to jump upwards. But the evasive action proved futile as Hayate used the momentum of his swing, held his bokken in reverse, and stabbed backwards and struck him in the gut.

"Gahh!" Naruto felt the air rush out of his lungs as the piece of wood made contact. The force behind it also caused to the blond to sail several feet away and start skidding upon making contact with the hard and unforgiven ground.

Were he still not suffering from the previous blow, Naruto would surely start gasping for air. For a moment nothing happened and Naruto was starting to think the blow somehow made him forget how to breathe. It wasn't even headshot either!

"Alright, calm down, kid," Hayate appeared next to him and rubbed his back, "This can happen sometimes. There's no need to worry."

"Gahh!" Naruto gasped and air finally filled or escaped his lungs. Naruto honestly didn't know which.

"There you go," he patted his trainee. "Not bad, kid. Here, drink this."

Seeing what he was being offered, Naruto glared at the man, "You're doing this on purpose aren't you?"

The man merely coughed, "Quit whining and drink your poison," was all he said much to Naruto's consternation. "Once you're done drinking that and you rest for a bit I'm gonna put you through a little test."

"Test?" Naruto asked between gulps, as well as trying to keep his stomach contents down.

"Test," the man affirmed, "You're not only going to give me two hundred horizontal and vertical slashes like before but faster as well. If I see any faults in your form I will add a second to your time and if it's not met you have to start over. Succeed and I'll teach you one of the basic techniques. Fail and you'll have to wait till you get it down," he ordered the blond student and took out a stop watch. "Whenever you're ready."

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Sword Basics for Dummies**

 **Main Quest: Perform 200 vertical swings and 200 horizontal swings before the allotted time is up.**

 **Side Quest: Finish main quest 10 seconds earlier.**

 **Second Side Quest: Finish main quest 20 seconds earlier.**

 **Main Quest Completion: 500 EXP, +150 Reputation with Hayate and Yugao, + 2 DEX "?"**

 **Side Quest Completion: 150 EXP, +50 Reputation with Hayate and Yugao, +1 DEX**

 **Second Side Quest Completion: 200 EXP, +100 Reputation with Hayate and Yugao, +2 Attribute Points, "?"**

 **Failure: 100 EXP (Quest can be retaken)**

* * *

"Huh? Why?" Naruto accepted the quest but the man's order still confused him.

"Why what?"

"Why are we doing this sorta thing instead of anything new?" Naruto clarified for the man.

"Simple, *cough* at the moment all this exercises are meant to try and create muscle memory among other things. To make learning this easier for you, and make it so you can pull moves off like this on instinct. This way when we move on to learning techniques and other exercises *cough* your body will be better adjusted to use and learn them," he informed the boy. When Naruto finished downing the last of the horrible tasting liquid, Naruto rested for a good solid ten minutes. When the time was up, Hayate tossed him a bokken and Naruto got into his stance.

"Now, sword ready and go!" he clicked the stop watch and looked on as Naruto began.

Up, down, up, down, left, right, left, right, the movements repeated themselves as Naruto swung his sword as told. The boy tried his best to concentrate as much as possible and swing as fast as possible too.

The tasks were easier said than done. As several minutes passed away, the fast pace he forced his arms to go at caused them to start burning and the boy knew he had made some mistakes along the way.

Hayate remained impassive as he watched his student. Naruto had potential and guts and didn't do things half-assed like most would. The man wasn't regretting his decision to teach the boy. However, he also saw Naruto starting to slow down, and looking at the time on his stop watch the man knew the boy still had a ways to go.

Up, down, right, left, up, down, right, left, Naruto continued and just as he made it to the last twenty some stretch, a voice called out. "Time!"

* * *

 **[QUEST FAILED]**

 **Sword Basics for Dummies**

 **Main Quest: Perform 200 vertical swings and 200 horizontal swings before the allotted time is up. (Failed)**

 **Side Quest: Finish main quest 10 seconds earlier. (Not Accomplished)**

 **Second Side Quest: Finish main quest 20 seconds earlier. (Not Accomplished)**

 **Rewards Earned: 100 EXP**

* * *

Hayate sighed and Naruto was downtrodden. The boy had failed. Oh, he knew that despite failing he could do it again but it was still failure no matter how one sliced it. He had failed a few quests before with Anko but he had managed to succeed on his first try too.

"Damn it," a frustrated Naruto growled.

"Don't beat yourself up, kid," Hayate said, "Even I didn't get as close a number on my first try doing this, and I'm a prodigy in kenjutsu," the man decided to leave out the fact that he also had perform much less mistakes too. The boy needed to be cheered up after this loss.

"Yeah, right?" Naruto didn't believe him.

"Really, kid. I'm not sure if Anko's told you this but being a prodigy means nothing in the ninja world. You can be a prodigy in swordsmanship or taijutsu but eventually you'll meet someone who isn't but realize they are better than you. Sure they have advantage at first but sooner or later that won't amount to nothing if they face off against someone with more experience or has a slight advantage somewhere else. For example who do you think would win, a prodigy in taijutsu or a decent taijutsu user?"

"Um," Naruto was sorely tempted to say the prodigy. "Does the other guy have anything else going for him?"

Hayate merely smiled at the boy's thinking, "Good answer, kid. In this scenario the prodigy is skilled in taijutsu and knows all the forms instinctively but the other guy has speed and wit the prodigy can't match. It could go either way. Remember, it's not the prodigious or strongest fighter that always wins the fight, but the fastest, smartest, and most dedicated. You may not have gotten it this time, I'd be surprised if you did, but if you keep at it you'll get it eventually. Took me four times before I could accomplish this," he patted the boy on the back, "Alright, enough talking, back to exercising."

"Hai!" Naruto nodded his head.

Both student and teacher continued to do this for a couple more hours before Naruto was finally spent. Hayate had to admit that the boy's stamina would got a long way into helping the boy. The man wished he had half the kid's stamina when he was his age.

"Not bad for a first day, kid. Come back tomorrow after class and we'll have another go," Hayate instructed but received a tired moan in return. "But first let's get you home," creating a **Kage Bunshin** , Hayate's clone grabbed Naruto and Hottomaru, and proceeded to take the boy back home. "Come back tomorrow right after class and we'll continue."

The man got a half-hearted wave from the boy as a response. Both his teachers were slave drivers, "What do you think?" Hayate asked his lover.

"The boy's got potential. A bit unrefined and sloppy but he has decent skill when it comes to using a blade," Yugao had always been one to set high standards for herself and others. Part of her also blamed her former captain for that too. "Most kids wouldn't have lasted a third as long him."

"I know," Hayate nodded.

The academy standards had gone downhill in the past couple of decades. At first it was fine as Konoha got more ninja from civilians, but the average graduation age now was twelve or thirteen compare to the old ten. Yugao had even heard Anko complain on what was now being taught compared to the old curriculum.

"You weren't bored were you?"

"No. I played with his ninken," she smiled and Hayate felt sorry. The man knew when she said play she meant something else. " _Explains_ _the cuts and bruises I saw on him,_ " the pup would need it though when he thought about it. Getting the experience on how to dodge swords strikes was just as important as learning them. Hottomaru wouldn't be able to learn them, but dodging them would help the ninken immensely in the future.

"So what should we do now?" Yugao asked. Both had some time to kill for the next few days.

"I have a few ideas," the man snaked his arm around his blushing lover and both made their way back home. Life was good at the moment, and Hayate wouldn't change anything about it.

* * *

 **Omake: Worst Wedding Day Ever**

"Maybe you should come over to my place for a while till you get better."

It was evident that Kiba was new at this despite his frequent boasted at the academy. Offering to take a girl to his place already without properly knowing her was a dumb move on his part. "It's alright, really."

"I insist," the boy pushed.

"Look asshole beat it," Naruto had enough and his real voice came out accidentally.

Stunned by the suddenness of it all, Kiba's mind soon registered the voice and an image popped into his mind, "… Naru-" the blond clamped his hand around Kiba's mouth.

"Shhh," he harshly shushed the Inuzuka heir, "You want the whole world to know?"

The boy merely gapped and almost seemed catatonic upon realizing the girl he was trying to pick up was Naruto of all people. The boy even had to swallow the bile that rose up from his stomach when he recalled him stroking his ass. "Oh, fuck no. Oh, sweet kami no!"

"Yeah," this was very awkward indeed in the blond haired, now dark, academy student's mind. Both males simultaneously wished they knew a way to annihilate this memory as though it never happened.

Unknown to both of them, someone was recording this entire even and both males were none the wiser. "Oh, this is gold."

(Decades Later)

"Bring on the entertainment!" Kiba yelled, slightly influenced by the alcohol in his system.

"Calm down, Dog-breath," Naruto laughed. Despite it all the soon to be Hokage couldn't help but be happy for his friend. Kiba was finally getting hitched to Tamaki. A beautiful and nice young woman who was almost the exact opposite of the brown haired Inuzuka Clan heir.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed, making his best friend Chouji chuckle lightly. Even after all these years the man still hadn't stopped using his famous catchphrase.

"Mah, mah. Calm down, Kiba," the current Hokage, one Hatake Kakashi told the boy, "they'll be here soon. In the meantime we have a special video to show you."

"Video? What the hell kind of lame idea is that?" he asked.

Kakashi merely shrugged, "Anko says it's supposedly a comedy and a very good one. She's making your fiancé and the other women watch it too."

"…Ah, what the hell. Put when the entertainment gets here it's off!" Kakashi merely nodded. He wouldn't have it any other way either. Dimming the lights, Kakashi placed the tape into a player and pressed play.

""Hey! Watch where you're … going?"

" _Oh, kami no,_ " looking up Naruto's skin would have palled even further had the special Henge not be in place. In front of him was none other than Inuzuka Kiba.

"Hey, there," was the boy's attempt at being suave. "Let me help you," the boy helped the geisha up and Naruto felt the feral boy's hand brush against his ass a few times. Naruto was sorely tempted to beat the life out of him for that stunt.

"Why's this so …. Oh fuck," Naruto's eye bulged out.

"The hell is this?" Kiba wondered. It was only until Naruto whispered in his ear did the bachelor sober up, pale to an unknown shade of white, and drop his drink. "Oh, dear kami no!"

"I fail see how this is a comedy," Shino wondered out loud. Many of the men present agreed and they failed to spot both Naruto and Kiba flee the scene.

"Ok, so we're in agreement with what he have to do right?" Naruto asked.

"Absolutely, kill Anko," Kiba nodded.

"No… well maybe, I don't know. You try it and see how it goes," Naruto told him. "All I know is that we gotta leave Konoha for a few days until this dies done."

"Dude I'm getting married tomorrow. Besides maybe it would be that funny to them," KIba prayed.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!"

His hopes were dashed when they heard the thunderous roar of laughter coming from the room. Naruto's eye merely twitched and Kiba looked ready to cry. "So… lay low?"

"Not on my watch, boys," a voice announced and both Naruto and Kiba paled when they saw the women from Tamaki's bachelorette party. All of them sported a knowing grin. "I figured this would happen so I had the tape played earlier in the party."

"Kiba, sweety," Tamaki looked at her fiancé and the man felt a chill, "You weren't thinking of running away like a little bitch now were you?"

"Uh," he couldn't find a proper answer.

"Because if you were I'd have to take a page out of Naruko's book and castrate you with a rusty spoon," she smiled even further and both men paled.

"Oh, I like this girl," Anko grinned. "So you boys going to face the music like men or like a bunch of whinny little bitches?"

Both men looked at each other and made their decision. The next day Kiba and Tamaki married and the man couldn't leave fast enough to go on an extra-long honeymoon. In Naruto's case the man decided he wanted to spend more time with his family before he became Hokage and all of them left for Spring Country to enjoy the beautiful weather. It would be quite some time before anyone would let them forget about the tape.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Level: 10 Next Level: 4239/7600**

 **Title: Academy Student**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 2150**

 **CP: 3350**

 **STR: 40.5**

 **VIT: 55**

 **DEX: 62 (+5) = 67**

 **INT: 101**

 **WIS: 39.5**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 55**

 **Perks:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards

Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards reputation gain

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP towards Chakra Control

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards reputation gain, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Apprentice Zombie Slayer:** 40% increase attack and defense against Undead, +10 stats when facing Undead, +15% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Status Effects:**

 **Malnourished:** Hampered physical growth rate, -25% to VIT, DEX, and STR stat base, +20% vulnerability to poisons

 **Description:** Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently an academy student with inspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. At the moment, Naruto is considered by many as a shoe in for the title of **Dead Last.**

 **Money** : 228,640 Ryo ~ (22,864$)

 **Stats: 7**

* * *

 **Here you go guys. Not a lot of action here but still important all the same. Just letting you know now that Naruto learning kenjutsu styles doesn't mean he won't be able to learn a fighting styles such as Frog Kata for example. It simple means he wont be able to learn other *weapon fighting styles* such as a Bojutsu fighting or its techniques. He can still us Bojutsu but a fighting style such as Suizaru-Ryu (Drunken Monkey Style) he can't learn. Just clarifying it all to avoid confusion.**

 **On a more somber note, I regret to inform that the author Freedom Guard has passed away. I only just recently found out he passed way in early or mid August through another story I just began reading. A real shame as fanfiction lost a very good author, his stories being memorable and will no longer be updated, and a family lost a son. It's a shame as his stories along with Psycho G, author of Neon Yondaime Hokage, inspired me to start writing myself. Rest in Peace Freedom Guard.**

 **Only a couple more chapters until canon finally starts. Hope you enjoy this one. Don't forget to go to my Deviantart webpage, Michma13 and got to the journals for the links on what certain things look like. I'd like to thank you all for the following, now over 3000 and the many reviews. Please continue to give me tons, the same amount (70-80) as you guys usually do, and the next chapter will be out as soon as possible. This one will be more action packed.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Ready, Fight!**

(Two Weeks Later)

"Arf!" Hottomaru barked and dodged beneath the behemoth's legs using a well-timed **Tsuga.** The Legion Zombie missed the evasive ninken and got its legs cut by the drilling technique in the process. The whole hit and run tactics had been going on for quite some time now. The zombie boss apparently had enough of this and proceeded to rip off the roof of a nearby building to end it once and for all. Seeing this, Hottomaru ran as quickly as he could in an unpredictable pattern before he dove into an alley, blocking himself from the zombie's line of view. Confused, the boss soon began roaring in anger at the loss of its prey. The Legion Zombie prepared to throw the large slab of stone and tiles before a voice rang out behind it.

" **Katon: Rasen Hoen no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Spiralling Phoenix Flame Technique)!" Naruto bellowed as a stream of fire flew from his mouth and pierced through the Legion Zombie. Like the other times it was used the powerful katon technique took a great deal of HP from the zombie boss and set it aflame before the creature turned to ash.

 **Your level has gone up by 1!**

 **Your Katon: Rasen Hoen has gone up by 1!**

Ignoring it, Naruto inspected the area and saw nothing else of interest. "It just isn't a challenge anymore, Hotto," Naruto sighed, his ninken coming into view behind him. His **Instant Dungeon Creation** had only just levelled up, giving him access to newer dungeons. Naruto made a note to take a look at them when he had the chance.

"Arf," the little ninken couldn't help but agree with his partner. Both had come up with a decent strategy against the zombie boss. Attack from a distance and once its health went down to a certain point, Hottomaru was to distract it as best he could without putting himself in danger. Afterwards the blond would hit it with his most powerful technique and take it down. This was the fourth time they had faced the boss

Gathering the loot, Naruto inspected the dropped items, "Let's see, three potions, 30,000 ryo, and… sweet! We got a rare drop here!" Naruto grinned at the best find in quite some time.

 **Minor Undead Soul Gem (Rare Quality)**

 **Permanently Grants: +5 STR, + 5 VIT, and Gachizaigo no Jutsu** (Voracious Sin Technique)

 **Status Effect: Enhancement Item**

 **Description: The concentrated energies of a very strong creature resides within this orb just begging to be released. Using this item will increase your stats and give you a new skill, but can only be used once.**

 **Gachizaigo no Jutsu** (Voracious Sin Technique) C-Rank. Lv. 1 Next Lv. 0%. **CP Usage: None.** This chakra absorbing technique allows the user to drain chakra from another being through physical contact, making it perfect for trackers and bounty hunters who need to collect live bounties. Through mastery of this technique one can learn how to potentially transfer the stolen energy to another. A downside of this technique is that the user must make physical contact with another or it will not work, and also leaves the user defenseless and unable to use other techniques while it is being performed.

* Does 40-50 Damage.

* Drains 3 CP per second.

* Individuals with high WIS can reduce effectiveness

* Ignores Enemy Armour Defense.

* Leaves user defenseless and unable to use other techniques while in use.

As he thought about using the technique, Anko having not returned from her mission yet due to a set of unknown circumstances, Naruto decided to take another course of action, "Hey, Hotto, come here."

"Arf?" the small pup cocked his head before standing in front of the boy.

"See if you can use this," he said and gave the stripped ninken the dark grey orb.

"Arf!" sniffing at the orb to see if there was anything suspicious, Hotto came to the conclusion that it was harmless and placed his paw on it. Soon the orb flared for a brief second and then shattered into nothingness.

"Arf!" a pleased Hottomaru barked, tail wagging behind him furiously.

"Thought you might like it," Naruto grinned both at the pup's joy and that his idea worked. "Hmm, no scroll this time," he thought it was a shame really but it was to be expected. Most of the time some things a dungeon boss dropped repeated themselves. In this case the potions and money. When it came to things such as scroll techniques, armor, or weapons they had a tendency to drop randomly. Even with his **Veteran Zombie Slayer** perk there was no guarantee of the same drop happening again.

 **Time** ," he called out and groaned when he saw that it was nearing midnight. "Time to call it a night, Hotto," Naruto sighed. The weekend had gone by too quickly for his liking.

(The next day)

"And so during the Second Shinobi World War the battle between Ame and Konoha had begun to escalade to its peaking point. While Amegakure had a great advantage over Konoha in the beginning, partial thanks to the village leader, Hanzo-"

As Iruka continued retelling the class about the Second Shinobi World War, Naruto drowned out the rest of the history lesson. Classes at the academy had become so stagnant and boring, even more so than usual. What with him being taught by Hayate and Yugao during Anko's absence, coupled with him wanting to master some of his already existing skills, Naruto felt that the academy had little to offer him now. Though Naruto decided to tough it out as it was nearing the graduation ceremony.

Thinking back on it, Naruto realized how naïve his younger self was to think he was prepared to graduate early. Unknown to the boy Hiruzen had allowed him to take them because he knew how stubborn Naruto was. While he had confidence in Naruto the man wanted the boy to realize that he wasn't ready yet. Technically speaking an academy student could apply for early graduation if they felt ready and had the approval of the Head Teacher of the academy and one of the Konoha Elders. Why Sasuke hadn't done this Naruto didn't know, but guessed even the prodigy didn't met the requirements for some reason. The blond had decided to attempt it over the course of his time here. The result was him failing the graduation exam twice now. The upcoming one would be his third. Which worried him slightly.

" _Even with my better chakra control I still can't use the Bunshin no Jutsu,_ " Naruto mentally groaned, even with him now just beginning to use the **Water Surface Walking Practice**. All his attempts at using the Bunshin ended in failure. Even trying to use a scroll was a no go.

" _At the least the scroll gave me a damn explanation,_ " he thought. " _This whole time it was because of my chakra levels,_ " initially he thought it was because his control over his chakra was terrible. In essence it was a playing factor but at least now he knew it wasn't merely just that.

However, while knowing part of the problem was good and all, it still wasn't enough to fix it. For him to graduate, Naruto knew he needed to show that he could make a proper Bunshin. Otherwise it was back to school, and no headband.

"Bullshit really," Naruto muttered lowly. Had it been the old curriculum that Anko mentioned he most likely would have graduated already, having been made an exception, or been a shoo-in for graduation. He knew quite a few elemental techniques, and one of them was an A-Rank with an almost guaranteed one hit kill if used. Naruto hadn't talked to anyone about it, being busy training and trying to solve the problem by himself. Hell, a combination of him trying to max his skills and training with Hayate and Yugao had been leaving with little time to enjoy his dungeons as much as he'd like.

Though a mere couple of weeks had passed since Naruto began practicing swordsmanship with the two, progress had been decent. Last Friday, the same time he had finally lost his **Malnourished** status effect, Naruto had managed to pull off the exercise Hayate wanted and was going to teach him a sword technique sometime this week. But that was still an hour or so away.

Sighing once more, Naruto continued to practice his calligraphy to try and get rid of the boredom he was currently feeling. It was essentially all he had been doing for the last little while and while Naruto listened and did better on tests, old habits died hard as the saying went.

 **Your calligraphy has gone up by 1!**

"At least now I can use **Fuinjutsu** ," Naruto smirked as he finally reached the final level of this skill. Mastering Basic Calligraphy had been a slow process for him but the boy knew it was going to be worth it in the end. The only downside was that Naruto knew he'd have to learn more advanced forms of calligraphy if he was to increase his Fuinjutsu level. It was usually how it worked in games.

"And that concludes history for today," Iruka finished, to the joy of almost everyone. "Now as you all know graduation is less than two months away," the man was cut off by the sound of happy and excited students.

"Yes, yes, I know. So to better prepare you all we are going to be doing more of the physical aspects from now on. That doesn't mean you're to slack on your studies!" here he looked at Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba. Usually he'd look at Naruto too but the boy's marks were greatly improving. Though he had confidence in the boy Iruka knew that with Naruto it could go either way.

"That being said we are going to hold a sparing session every Monday and Friday for the next few weeks to see where everyone stands and what can be improved. If we see you're at an adequate level you'll get these," here he showed a series of scrolls. "These scrolls demonstrate and have information on how to use the Advanced Academy Taijutsu. Now for those of you who have a clan based Taijutsu," his words were directed at Chouji, Kiba, and Sasuke, "this may not seem like much. However, mastering this will help you better understand and learn other Taijutsu styles Konoha has to offer. Who knows, some of you may even attempt to create your own Taijutsu style. Now head outside and begin stretching for ten minutes while Mizuki and I set everything up."

"Yahoo! Let's go, Akamaru!" Kiba practically blurred out of the classroom with his ninken, followed quickly by the other eager students.

"…I'm starting to think my lectures aren't being appreciated, Mizuki," Iruka speculated.

"You're just figuring it out now?" Mizuki sweatdropped upon seeing Iruka become despondent. Mizuki thought the man a fool before they left to set up the training area.

While the academy teachers prepared for the sparing session, Naruto and the other students took this time to stretch and prepare. After excusing himself briefly, Naruto now sported his **Crimson Cloak of the Fire Rat** for added defense, even if it did clash with his current ensemble. Nowhere did Iruka say that they weren't allowed to wear armor.

Eyeing the competition, Naruto decided to see what he was up against. With his **Observe** now at a much higher level the Gamer would be able to see more and what they offered in terms of a challenge.

" **Observe,** " he muttered and started with the kunoichi of the class.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Haruno Sakura**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Academy Student**

 **Level: 10 Next Level: 645/7600**

 **Reputation Level: Disliked (250/3000)**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 300**

 **CP: 300**

 **STR: 13**

 **VIT: 12**

 **DEX: 19**

 **INT: 12**

 **WIS: 93**

 **LUK: 20**

 **DEF: 10**

 **Perks:**

 **Photographic Memory:** +3 WIS per Lv, +25% EXP and Effectiveness to all Skills, +25% EXP and Effectiveness towards Chakra Control Skills, +25% EXP and Effectiveness towards Medical Ninjutsu and Genjutsu

 **Minor Dissociative Identity Disorder:** +30% Mental Resistance, +25% EXP and Effectiveness towards Tactics and Strategy, Potential random emotional outbursts gives +25% to Taijutsu power and effectiveness in combat, and potential mental breakdowns

 **Titles:**

 **Bookworm:** +4 WIS per Lv, +25% EXP and Effectiveness towards skills learned through books and scrolls, -15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Taijutsu and Bukijutsu

 **Status Effect:**

 **Physically Lacking: -** 15% towards STR, DEX, VIT, -15% Effectiveness towards Taijutsu and Bukijutsu, -15% Poison and Disease Resistance

 **Description: Haruno Sakura comes from a civilian family. Haruno Sakura is a very smart and talented academy student due to her photographic memory and dedication, but her physical conditioning is considered below average. She also possesses a short temper and can be easily riled up depending on the situation. She, like many of the girls in her class, has a crush on Uchiha Sasuke. Currently has the affections of one Uzumaki Naruto but has no intention of reciprocating them and finds him annoying.**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Yamanaka Ino**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Academy Student**

 **Level: 9 Next Level: 5876/6500**

 **Reputation: Neutral** (450/1000)

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 375**

 **CP: 450**

 **STR: 13**

 **VIT: 15**

 **DEX: 25**

 **INT: 18**

 **WIS: 43**

 **LUK: 15**

 **DEF: 10**

 **Perk:**

 **Enhanced Cognition:** +1 WIS per Lv, +15% EXP and Effectiveness to Detection, +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Chakra Control Skills, +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Skills learned through books and scrolls

 **Natural Grace:** +1 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness towards Movement Speed in and out of combat, +15% Effectiveness towards Evasion,

 **Special Perk:**

 **Yamanaka Lineage (Heiress):** +3 WIS per Lv, +25% Effectiveness to all Yamanaka Clan Skills, +25% Reputation gain with Konoha and Konoha Allies, +25% EXP and Effectiveness Bartering with Konoha and Allies, 15% EXP increase from Konoha Missions

 **Titles:**

 **Apprentice Botanist:** 15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Botany Skill, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Herbalism Skill, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Poison Skills

 **Beginner Mind Walker:** +1 WIS, +10% EXP & Effectiveness towards Torture and Interrogation Skill, +10% EXP & Effectiveness towards Information Gathering Skill, +10% towards Chakra Control Skill, +10% Resistance towards Torture and Interrogation

 **Konoha's Mrs. Beauty:** +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Seduction Skill, +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Bartering Skill, +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Infiltration Skill

 **Description: Though not as intelligent as her rival, Sakura, Ino is still one of the top students at the academy. Ino is talented in her clan's teachings but due to her attitude and infatuation with Sasuke she isn't as far or as proficient as she should be. Ino is notorious for her gossip and fashion sense, very little happens in the academy that she doesn't know about.**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hyuga Hinata**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Academy Student**

 **Level: 10 Next Level: 88/7600**

 **Reputation Level: Honoured (4700/6000)**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 400**

 **CP: 600**

 **STR: 16**

 **VIT: 16**

 **DEX: 39**

 **INT: 24**

 **WIS: 57**

 **LUK: 12**

 **DEF: 10**

 **Perks:**

 **Byakugan:** +1 DEX per Lv, +20% EXP & Effectiveness towards Medical Ninjutsu, Detection, Sensing, and Taijutsu Skills, Capable of seeing virtually through everything, body pressure points and at far distances

 **Main Family Lineage:** +2 WIS & +1 DEX per Lv, +10% Effectiveness to all Hyuga Clan Skills, +10% Reputation gain with Konoha and Konoha Allies, +10% EXP and Effectiveness towards Bartering Skill with Konoha and Allies, +10% EXP and Effectiveness towards Taijutsu and Chakra Control Skill, Risk of capture from Kumo shinobi

 **Titles:**

 **Apprentice Juken Practitioner:** +2 WIS, +1 DEX, +1 INT, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Taijutsu Skill, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Chakra Control Skill

 **Beginner Medical Practitioner:** +1 WIS per level, +10% EXP & Effectiveness towards Medical Ninjutsu and Herbalism Skills

 **Status Effect:**

 **Mild-Diffidence:** -20% to all stats, -20% EXP earned, -20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Skills, Self Confidence Issues **,** Can potentially become irreversible if progressed too far

 **Description: Hinata is a very kind but very shy young girl who comes from one of Konoha's four noble clans. Despite being trained in the art of the Gentle Fist at a young age, a renown and deadly taijutsu, Hinata's skill is lacking for reasons currently unknown. While not one of the best students in the academy Hinata is still one of the more intelligent students. While most of the girls in her class are infatuated with Sasuke, Hinata is attracted to someone else. Her love for cinnamon rolls is said to rival Uzumaki Naruto's love for ramen.**

* * *

Naruto wasn't surprised that his classmates had managed to level up by a couple of levels. It had been well over a month and a half after all. Though he was surprised at what he saw for some of them. For Sakura it explained why she had the kata for the academy Taijutsu down but was pretty tired afterwards. He was surprised Ino wasn't the same but guessed that coming from a ninja clan meant she knew better. He was very surprised with his reputation level with Hinata and wondered what he could have done for it to be so high. Aside from a few others, Naruto actually realized that Hinata was actually the only female in his class who didn't make fun of him. Why was that?

"Eh, I'll figure it out later," he shrugged and decided to focus on the task at hand. "Ok, next," he decided to scan the Taijutsu oriented male students.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Akimichi Chouji**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Academy Student**

 **Level: 10 Next Level: 278/7600**

 **Reputation Level: Friendly (400/3000)**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 700**

 **CP: 650**

 **STR: 37**

 **VIT: 26**

 **DEX: 19**

 **INT: 26**

 **WIS: 16**

 **LUK: 16**

 **DEF: 20**

 **Perks:**

 **Calorie-Conversion:** 25% increase towards VIT, STR, INT, DEX during combat when used, Capable of converting calories and fat stores into chakra, grants rapid weight loss, can cause severe detrimental status effect if used beyond current capabilities

 **Special Perk:**

 **Akimichi Clan Lineage (Heir):** +3 STR, +30HP per Lv, +25% EXP & Effectiveness to all Akimichi Skills Techniques, +25% Reputation gain with Konoha and Konoha Allies, +25% EXP and Effectiveness Bartering with Konoha and Allies **, +** 15% EXP increase from Konoha Missions, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Taijutsu & Cooking Skill

 **Titles:**

 **Culinary-Connoisseur:** +20% EXP & Effectiveness towards Cooking Skill, +20% EXP & Effectiveness towards Herbalism, +20% EXP & Effectiveness towards Survivalist Skill

 **Description: Chouji comes from the famed Akimichi Clan. Known for their rotund figure and explosive tempers if called fat, the Akimichi Clan's impressive physical strength and ninjutsu are well known. Like most Akimichi Chouji has a love of food that is said to be unsurpassed, a feat that is followed by his cooking skills. Like his best friend Shikamaru, Chouji is laid back, making him one of the lower tier students despite his potential.**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Inuzuka Kiba**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Academy Student**

 **Level: 10 Next Level: 2315/7600**

 **Reputation Level: Neutral (700/1000)**

 **Specialization: Tracker Ninja**

 **HP: 650**

 **CP: 650**

 **STR: 34**

 **VIT: 26**

 **DEX: 77**

 **INT: 26**

 **WIS: 16**

 **LUK: 23**

 **DEF: 15**

 **Perks:**

 **Keen-Senses:** +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odors

 **Special Perk:**

 **Clan Lineage (Heir):** +3 DEX per Lv, +25% EXP & Effectiveness to all Inuzuka Skills Techniques, +25% Reputation gain with Konoha and Konoha Allies, +25% EXP and Effectiveness Bartering with Konoha and Allies **,** 15% EXP increase from Konoha Missions, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Tracking & Taijutsu Skill

 **Titles:**

 **Apprentice Tracker:** +3 DEX per Lv, +20% Effectiveness and EXP towards Tracking Skill, +20% Effectiveness and EXP towards Stealth and Attack/Defense Stealth based Techniques, +20% towards Movement Speed during and outside combat

 **Feral Fighter:** +2 STR, + 1 DEX per Lv, 15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Taijutsu, +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Feints, - 20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Tactics and Strategy

 **Description: Kiba comes from a clan that is renown for their use of ninken and unique fighting style in combat. Though young and hotheaded, and not the sharpest tool in the shed, Kiba is one of the best in Taijutsu, outmatched only by Sasuke, Kiba is one of the lower rank students in academics.**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Akamaru**

 **Job: Ninken (Ninja Dog)**

 **Rank: None**

 **Level: 6 Next Level: 234/3600**

 **Reputation: Neutral (700/1000)**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **Ninken Category: Hybrid "Attack and Tracking"**

 **HP: 250**

 **CP: 250**

 **STR: 9**

 **VIT: 10**

 **DEX: 26**

 **INT: 10**

 **WIS: 8**

 **LUK: 19**

 **Defense: 0**

 **Perks:**

 **Wolf Lineage (Attack Dog):** +1 STR, +1 DEX per Lv, +25% Effectiveness & EXP towards Collaboration Techniques

 **Akita Lineage (Tracking Dog):** +2 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Tracking Skill, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Stealth, +10% towards Movement Speed during and outside combat

 **Keen-Senses:** +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odors

 **Ninja Dog:** Human Lifespan, Ability to Mold Chakra, Potential to speak human language

 **Description: A two old ninja dog and Kiba's partner. Though young and appearing like a normal puppy Akamaru is quite intelligent and strong for his age and size.**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uchiha Sasuke**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Academy Student**

 **Level: 13 Next Level: 2939/1100**

 **Reputation Level: Neutral (500/1000)**

 **Title: Uchiha Clan Heir**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 775**

 **CP: 1715**

 **STR: 46**

 **VIT: 31**

 **DEX: 69**

 **INT: 53**

 **WIS: 48**

 **LUK: 21**

 **DEF: 15**

 **Perk:**

 **?:** Not Unlocked

 **Special Perk**

 **Uchiha Lineage (Heir):** +2 INT, 1 WIS and 30 CP per Lv, +25% Effectiveness to all Uchiha Clan Skills, +25% Reputation gain with Konoha and Konoha Allies, +25% EXP and Effectiveness Bartering with Konoha and Allies, 15% EXP increase from Konoha Missions, +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Katon Ninjutsu

 **Titles:**

 **Apprentice Sekkendo Practitioner (Way of the Intercepting Fist):** +3 DEX, +1 STR per Lv, +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Taijutsu, +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Evasion and Counters, +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Movement Speed

 **Last Loyal Uchiha:** +25% EXP towards Reputation with Konoha, +25% EXP gained towards Konoha missions, 15% discount on goods with Konoha, -50% Mental Resistance

 **Lone Wolf Prodigy:** +25% EXP and Effectiveness towards all skills, +25% EXP earned from Solo Missions, +15% EXP towards Reputation gain with Konoha, +2 to all stats per Lv, -50% EXP and Effectiveness towards Teamwork and Reputation Gain

 **Status Effect:**

 **?** : ?

 **Description: Uchiha Sasuke comes from the famous and powerful Uchiha Clan, one of Konoha's founding clans and one of the most powerful clan in the world. After the massacre of his clan in one night, Sasuke became the last of the Uchiha Clan. From that day on Sasuke's personality changed drastically, throwing himself into his training, and began closing himself off from others, becoming a lone wolf. Considered a prodigy by many, Sasuke is rumoured to be a shoe in for the title of Rookie of the Year.**

* * *

"Damn," Naruto muttered after it was all done. He knew his **Observe** skill had been low at the time and didn't show everything but still for the academy students to have such stats in certain areas. Especially Sasuke and the perks he had.

"Some people have all the luck," Naruto noted but shrugged immediately afterwards. Impressive as the stats were compared to the other academy students by far, they weren't as high as his stats.

"Hey, Dobe, what's with the cloak?" Naruto turned around and spotted Kiba and a few others giving him strange looks.

"Added protection," he merely responded. "Iruka-sensei didn't say anything about us not being allowed to wear armor."

"Tch, you'll need all the help you can get, Naruto," Kiba smirked.

"Last I heard I wasn't Dead Last anymore, Dog-breath," Naruto's comment caused Kiba to lose his smirk and others to start laughing. With his better grades the position of Dead Last had gone to Kiba. While the Inuzuka Clan heir was one of the top students in Taijutsu his grades were much poorer in the other subjects.

"Arf!" Hottomaru laughed at the boy, earning a low growl and bark from his cousin. Hottomaru though promptly ignored it.

"Alright everyone, gather around," Iruka called them. "Because of the amount of students we have we're going to be splitting this into two blocks. When only three students from each block is left, both blocks' contestants will fight each other. The process of selecting who will be facing who is simple. The box you see before you has all your names written down in it and each one of your names will be chosen at random. We are doing this for a crucial reason. When you all become ninja you need to expect the unexpected. Some you may face can either be weak or very strong, meaning a fight can be easy or difficult. It may seem unfair, and it is, but that's how the real world works. Consider this a wake up call. Better for you to realize it now then when it's too late. Now Block A who will be looked after Mizuki will have-"

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Ready, Fight!**

 **Main Quest: Become one of the Top 3 Fighters**

 **Side Quest: Become the Top Fighter**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Main Quest Completion: 450 EXP, +1 STR, 250 Reputation with Iruka, Advanced Academy Taijutsu Scroll**

 **Side Quest Completion: 400 EXP, +2 STR, +1 Stat Point, +250 Reputation with Iruka**

 **Hidden Objective Completion: 300 EXP, +2 Attribute Points**

 **Failure: 100 EXP**

 **Quest is Mandatory**

* * *

Naruto merely grinned at the quest. This was going to be a piece of cake he thought. With his boost in skills and higher than average academy student stats this competition was in the bag.

"Block B will have Yamanaka Ino, Hikari Kasumi, Hokino Ami, Inuzuka Kiba, Uzumaki Naruto, Akimichi Chouji, Hyokan Fuki, Uchiha Sasuke, Oshiro Hibachi-"

Naruto merely drowned out the rest of the calls when he heard the name Oshiro Hibachi and scowled. Years ago Naruto had wanted to partake in a contest with some of the academy students, Hibachi however had made sure he didn't get the chance. Needless to say Naruto got back at the boy and Hibachi wanted payback by tricking him. The tasked seemed simple at the time. All he needed to do was collect something from what he later discovered to be a hot zone.

Naruto came out relatively fine thanks to Iruka and a Jounin but his dislike for Hibachi had grown because of the stunt. Initially Hibachi and his friends were meant to be expelled from the academy because the prank did put a student's life at risk, but their parents had managed to convince the Head Teacher otherwise. They had still gotten severally punished from what he heard, but to Naruto it felt like it was a merely slap on the wrists.

" _Time for payback, asshole,_ " Naruto cracked his knuckles in anticipation of facing the prick.

"Now that that's settled, some ground rules. One, this is strictly a friendly Taijutsu spar, so that means no Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, or Bukijutsu. If I catch anyone using any of those three you're disqualified, and will be serving detention with me pending what I see. Two, my decisions are absolute and when I say a ruling or a fight is over it's over. Failure to comply will result in consequences," here he developed a very stern look that many had rarely seen on Iruka's face.

"Three, unlike the previous spars we've had before we're mixing it up a bit. To win a match you must land three successful blows against your opponent. Sweeping them off their feet and throws do not count as a hit, blocking a strike doesn't count as a hit either. Knocking them out, while not necessary, will result in you winning the match by default. Once a blow has been landed you will separate and get back into fighting position. Each blow represents a level of injury you may face in the battlefield: Minor, Severe and Fatal. In the real world all it takes are a few blows, even a single well placed blow, to end it all. Yet even someone with a fatal injury can make a comeback and end up as the victor," here the man spoke from experience.

"Four, the white line you see over there is a marked boundary area you cannot cross. Crossing it will result in a point for your opponent. Remember, a shinobi must be aware of their surroundings at all times and use it to their advantage. Finally, before every bout you are to perform the Seal of Confrontation, and at the end you are to perform the Seal of Reconciliation. With that settled let's begin. Block B follow me, the rest of you follow Mizuki-sensei."

Both blocks of students split, with fifteen students in each block. "Hey, Iruka-sensei if the blocks are an odd number doesn't that mean one of us gets a free pass?" Naruto asked.

The man smiled, "Correct, Naruto. Because each block has fifteen students one of you will not need to fight in the first round. While it's unfair, like I said this is to help simulate a real life scenario. A ninja can be coming back from a mission and won a fight, only to then face someone else at one hundred percent strength. How you deal with it will result in success or failure," he told the students as they arrived at their designated area.

"Now then, the first fight will be … Yamanaka Ino vs Hokino Ami. Inuzuka Kiba vs Hyokan Fuki. Hikari Kasumi vs Akimichi Chouji. Uzumaki Naruto vs Oshiro Hibachi-"

Naruto had to restrain himself from shouting out with glee, " _Thank you, Lady Luck!_ "

Hibachi for his part merely smirked. While some believed Naruto had gotten better, Hibachi was from a group of students who thought his success was nothing more than a fluke on the blond's part. Hibachi had been wanted to pay Naruto back too. While his father had managed to prevent him from getting expelled, saying the man had been furious didn't do it justice.

"Alright now, Ino and Ami, enter the ring!" Iruka shouted. Both kunoichi offered the Seal of Confrontation, albeit reluctantly because neither one were exactly friends to begin with. Mostly due to Ino having tricked Ami into thinking she'd been poisoned, and both fought for Sasuke's admiration.

"Ready, begin!" Iruka shouted.

"Bring it, Blon-" Ami's taunt was cut short as she felt a punch to the face and fell back on her posterior.

"Point, Ino!" Iruka announced.

"You were saying," the Yamanaka smirked.

The fight, if one could call it that was one-sided. Ami, like many kunoichi candidates, focused more time on her looks and book skills than her physical education. With Ino coming from a ninja clan and being one of the higher students too, coupled with her greater flexibility and speed the civilian born academy student stood no chance. Ami was promptly beaten by the Yamanaka heiress in less than a minute.

"Shōsha, Yamanaka Ino!" Iruka announced. Both academy students exchanged the Seal of Reconciliation, though Ami had a scowl on her bruised face. Ino merely smiled at the purple haired bully. When it was over, Ami was forced to go see the academy nurse while Iruka crossed out her name and started the next match.

Much like the previous match with Ino and Ami, Kiba and Chouji's match against their opponents were relatively one sided. Unlike Kiba whose speed was just too great for his opponent, Chouji had gotten hit once because of his rotund figure and kind-hearted nature. When both Chouji and Kasumi finished performing the Seal of Reconciliation, Iruka announced the next bout.

"Naruto, Hibachi, you two are up," Iruka announced and Hibachi's friends cheered him on.

"Kick his ass, Hibachi!" Hibachi's best friend, Unagi, shouted.

"Language!" the academy teacher reprimanded them.

"No sweat. This loser's going down," Hibachi grinned.

" _Oh, I'm so gonna enjoy beating that ugly mug of yours,_ " the boy could only lament not being able to use **Goriki** considering it was a ninjutsu, and a punch with that amount of strength behind it could potentially send Hibachi into a coma or worse.

"Make the seal," Iruka told them.

"Do we have to?"

"Do it or you're disqualified," was the man's stern response and both males begrudgingly performed it.

"Great, now I gotta disinfect my hand," Hibachi muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Grr," Hottomaru looked ready to teach the academy student a lesson.

"Enough," Iruka frowned as some of the students laughed, "Ready, fight!"

The moment he said fight, Naruto appeared in front of Hibachi before the boy could react. Faster than most could see, Naruto delivered a devastating haymaker on the bandana wearing boy's face. The last thing Hibachi saw before his vision dimmed and his consciousness left him was the angry look in Naruto's eyes.

Soon his unconscious body was sent flying a good seven or eight feet away, twirling through the air like a spinning top before finally coming down and tumble limb over limb an additional four or five feet on the ground. The students were left stunned by the act and left in disbelief. Naruto, the Dead Last that many still thought him to be, had sent a student flying with a single punch.

"Hi…Hibachi?" a concerned and shocked Unagi wondered if his friend was alright.

"Wh…What happened!" another student asked.

Checking up on the academy student, Iruka placed his fingers on his neck and sighed a breath of relief, "He's fine, merely unconscious," Iruka's announcement only proceeded to shock them ever further. "Winner by knockout, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto merely smirked and made his way out of the fighting ring, the eyes of the students following him as he did. One in particular was curious. Sasuke knew that Hibachi was one of the weaker students but being knocked out by a single punch was no small feat for an academy student. Sasuke knew that it took a considerable amount of physical strength to perform.

"Guess the Dobe really has improved," the Uchiha muttered and was curious by his sudden increase in strength. That curiosity however was soon replaced by a frown upon seeing the blond's attire, "Where have I seen that before?" the image of the boy's cloak was vague at the moment but the boy put the thought aside for now. Most likely it wasn't really that important and his attention was drawn elsewhere.

The following fight of Shino vs Unagi proved to be one sided once more. Still shocked by his best friend's easy defeat, Unagi was unable to concentrate properly. Despite Taijutsu not being an Aburame's forte, Unagi's lack of focus allowed Shino an easy win. The match that followed, which consisted of two civilian students, Hari and Uzo, was more sad that anything. Many that watched the match knew that their blows were very sloppy and not up to par. Instead of continuing the match, Iruka decided to disqualify both academy students and had them go practice the academy kata. The man did it because he knew neither one would be able to defeat whoever they faced. Iruka even took a page out of Anko's book by mentally calling their performance as piss poor.

"Ayane, Sasuke, enter the ring," Iruka announced.

"I forfeit!" Ayame declared.

"…What?" Iruka asked.

"I can't hit Sasuke-kun!" the girl gushed, and Sasuke scowled in disgust.

"Oh, for fucks sakes! I've had enough of this bullshit!" a voice called out, much to everyone's confusion.

"Oh, no," Naruto and Kiba paled and both of their ninken partners hid behind them. The two boys knew whose voice it belonged to and both knew it was angry.

The students and Iruka had no time to react when the body of Mitarashi Anko suddenly appeared in front of them, and the woman looked piss.

"Anko?" Iruka, "What are you doing here?"

"Got back from a mission that took longer than expected and wanted to see how the gaki was doing," Iruka quickly understood. Missions that took longer than what was contracted usually meant something went wrong such as the client lying about certain details and was now being targeted, or the mission was merely extended due to other circumstances. Usually it was the former.

"Nice win by the way," she congratulated her ward, "Wouldn't exactly call it a fight, but the knockout was beautiful," she added before looking at the poor excuse of a kunoichi, "You, Girly, have three seconds to get to hell out of my sight before I sick Midori on you."

Normally Naruto and Kiba would feel sorry for the girl, but considering what just happened, not so much. Sasuke was intrigued however at what she was doing. With many female followers and him ignoring them several of the boys began to assume that Sasuke batted for the other team.

Sasuke didn't bother to correct them, thinking they were idiots for spreading rumors that were unbecoming of a future ninja. Truthfully it was because of girls such as Ayane, who in Sasuke's mind were nothing more than a mockery of true kunoichi. This woman before him he knew was a true kunoichi, despite being eccentric and blunt as she is.

"One."

"Who are you?" Ayane's dumb question cost her.

"Three!" the woman announced and Midori's body slithered out of her trench-coat. The large serpent hissed loudly, frightening the students and caused Ayane to scream her heart out and start running until she was out of the academy yard.

" **She's not** **worth the chase,** " Midori glared, " **Naruto-san** ," she nodded at the boy before slithering back towards Anko, who looked at the academy instructor.

"Seriously, what the fuck are you guys teaching these brats?" she asked despite already knowing. "You know what, don't fucking answer, I don't wanna know."

"Anko, langua-"

"Oh, stuff if you pussy!" Anko interrupted the man and glared at the losing academy students. "That had the be the most piss poor display I've ever seen. Had that been real life you'd be dead before you could blink. As of now I'm taking over. To start off, new rule, kiddos. If you lose badly, you answer to me. Otherwise, you're fine. Got it!"

"Anko you can't just-"

"Who's the Jonin here, _Chunin_ ," Anko asked him and Iruka stopped the moment she pulled rank, "I thought so. Blondy, Mutt, you two are up!" she ordered the two students to enter the ring.

Much like the previous fights with the civilian born academy students, Ino and Kiba's fight had been one sided in favour of Kiba. Ino had natural grace and speed that allowed her dodge a few of his swipes and blows, but it wasn't enough. Many saw that Kiba was the stronger and faster fighter. His greater reflexes allowing him to dodge Ino's strikes easily or bat them aside and land a blow.

With the match at two to none, Kiba was one more hit away from winning the fight. Thinking fast on her feet, Ino decided to use a different, in this case by showing more skin. "Oh, this heat," she fanned herself and proceeded to take off her top.

"Gah!" Kiba, along with some of the males, was left speechless and blushed at the act. Using it to her advantage, Ino threw her purple top at Kiba. The boy instinctively caught the piece of clothing only to receive a harsh kick in return that made every male cringe and cover their manhood. Kiba was left gasping for air by the move and fell to the ground clutching his injured body part.

"Nice!" Anko approved of the move. Ino had no advantage in terms of speed and strength, something the Inuzuka were known for, what she did have however was her looks, wit, and natural grace. Seeing what just happened, Anko knew the girl could use it to deadly effect.

"Ughh," Kiba continued to groan.

"Mutt, if you don't get up in the next ten seconds you're disqualified," Anko threatened. Though it had taken some effort, Kiba managed to get to his feet and glared angrily at his opponent.

"You'll pay for that," the feral boy growled and Ino was now worried. Her father had told how some Inuzuka could lose control of their more feral side when angry, making their blows much more deadly.

"Good thing he said it also made them sloppy," Ino thought.

"Fight!"

With a growl Kiba charged towards Ino. The blonde kunoichi in training back-pedalled and ducked under his wild swings. Each strike being closer and faster than the previous one.

"Rhaaaaa!" Kiba's next swipe missed but managed took a few hairs off Ino's head in the process.

"Ha!" the crouched blonde swept the brown haired Inuzuka's feet from under him. Making him fall and even more angry.

"Point, Blondy!" Anko announced.

"What!? Trips don't count as hits," Kiba argued.

"I know, but look where you landed, Mutt," she pointed downwards and both Kiba and the rest saw that his upper body had crossed the boundary.

"Damn it!" Kiba growled.

"Two-two!" Anko announced, "Last round, kiddos. Ready, fight!"

Instead of charging in this time, Kiba opted another tactic and began to circle Ino like a predator would to their prey. Ino for her part merely kept up her guard, it was anyone's game now and the blonde wanted to come up on top.

Leaping forward in an attempt to rush her, Kiba suddenly sidestepped to Ino's right. A feint, Ino realized and made an effort to keep her guard up and position herself accordingly. Kiba then moved in quickly and swiped at Ino once more, only for her to lash out with a kick at his face to drive him back. Unfortunately, the move proved to be her downfall as Kiba grabbed a hold of her foot, twisted around and threw Ino out of the ring, ending he match.

"Winner, Mutt!" Anko's announcement made Kiba whoop joyfully.

"Damn," Ino cursed but was given help from Anko.

"Not bad, kiddo," Anko was sincere. While Ino still needed some improvement, her wit and ingenuity in the mock fight showed Anko that the girl had what it took to be a kunoichi. Only time would tell if she'd make it.

"Next fight!"

Chouji and Naruto made their way into the ring, though Naruto was annoyed with the constant grumbling that came from the Akimichi's stomach, "Oh, man, I'm hungry."

"Fight first, eat later, brat," Anko shook her head. "Fight!"

Like before, Naruto moved in too quickly for Chouji to react and was struck in the gut. Unlike with Hibachi though Chouji not only was better prepared and didn't underestimate the blond, but the boy was much heavier too and was only sent flying a few feet instead.

"Ugh," the Akimichi groaned as he got back up.

"Sorry, man, but I ain't going easy on ya," Naruto apologized to his friend.

"No need, I'm done," Chouji announced, much to Naruto's disappointment. The boy then left the ring and proceeded to eat some chips. Chouji knew that without his clan's techniques his fighting style was greatly hampered. Winning against his previous opponent was one thing, fighting an improved Naruto was different. Coupled with Naruto's strength and speed the Akimichi wasn't going to bother fighting a battle he knew he'd lose. An Akimichi was know for their strength, not speed.

"… Well that sucks," Anko muttered lowly but didn't bother reprimanding Chouji… yet anyways. Anko had an inkling the boy knew he wouldn't stand a chance without using his clan's ninjutsu. Akimichi weren't exactly the fastest shinobi around. She didn't like the fact he gave up so easily but brought her attention elsewhere.

"Seeing as how we're at an uneven number you get a free pass, Bug Boy," Anko informed the Aburame heir who merely nodded. "Uchiha, you and the Civi are next."

Though he managed to fight someone this time, Sasuke and many would hardly call it one considering how one sided it was once again. Being a prodigy and a shoo-in for the title of Rookie of the Year "Toshi, was it?"

"Hai?"

"Hmm, go join those two pathetic excuses and work on your form and don't bother coming back until you get it down!" Iruka frowned but couldn't really say anything. Her words were harsh but true. It was a pattern really where most civilian born academy students had a disadvantage when learning to be a ninja compared to clan born students. Not all of them were like it but over fifty three percent of the time these students lagged behind in one area or another. This was especially true for the kunoichi in training when it came to Taijutsu.

" _It's a good thing I organized this then,"_ Iruka thought. Better for them to learn about their faults and correct them now before it became too late. Graduation was soon but they still had an ample amount of time to improve.

"Alright, Top four fighters are Bug Boy, Uchiha, Mutt and Gaki," Anko announced.

"We have names, you know," Kiba spoke.

"Don't care, Mutt," was her rebuttal. "Now seeing as how we need three contestants to go against the either block, two of you will need to duke it out. So write your names and place em in the box."

All four students did so and Anko began to shake before handing the box to Iruka, "First fighter … Uzumaki Naruto…Second fighter… Inuzuka Kiba."

" _Shit,_ " the Inuzuka heir cursed. Had he not seen what the former Dead Last did to Hibachi he'd had thought the match to be an easy one. Before Naruto's sudden boost in strength, which still baffled him, Kiba was easily the fastest Genin in the academy, followed right behind by Sasuke.

One of the man reasons why the Uchiha won every match when they fought was because Sasuke had incredible speed of his own and his fighting style revolved around speed, reflexes and counters. His mother had told that even without their bloodline limit being active an Uchiha already had a sense of what their opponent was going to do based on body language alone. It wasn't as effective without the Sharingan but it was effective still.

Naruto had no such fighting style. The boy's fighting style was basically that of a street brawler, all power and no technique or finesse. But where it was sloppy and unrefined before was now greatly improved. The boy's swings were more precise and balanced and less energy was wasted in them. It wasn't perfect, and it would not help against stronger and more experienced Taijutsu oriented foes, but Kiba knew Naruto's Taijutsu was a hell of a lot better than what it used to be. Factoring in with his speed that was now greater than his own, Kiba wasn't feeling that confident or boastful as he normally was.

"Mutt, quit spacing!" Anko's shout made him jump in the air and fall on his ass. Getting up and glaring at the woman, who merely glared back, Kiba entered the ring.

"Ready, fight!" Iruka announced.

Like before Naruto came in quick and struck out at Kiba with a kick. The Inuzuka heir barely had enough time to block the strike and the boy regretted doing so when he felt his arms go numb.

"Argghh," Kiba groaned in pain from the blow, the kick had enough power in it to force him backwards. The action allowing Naruto to sneak in another blow to his upper chest. Kiba winced upon impact and knew he was going to get a nasty bruise.

"Point, Naruto!" Iruka announced and both males went back to their starting positions. "Ready, fight!"

Instead of waiting for Naruto to come to him, Kiba rushed at the blond with the intention to create a feint and make the blond stumble on himself. Rearing his arm behind him and the other upfront with the intention to intimidate his opponent, Kiba smirked when he saw Naruto backpedal. Sidestepping quickly, Kiba then leaped forward slashed out at the blond. Only for Naruto to fall to the ground on his back and lash out with another kick when Kiba appeared above him. The suddenness of the kick along with having no way to defend himself caused the air to come rushing out of his lungs. It was only made worse when gravity took its toll and he landed on the ground with a relatively loud thud, forcing more air out of him.

"Ouch," Naruto winced and felt sympathetic. The boy knew exactly how he felt right now. Today wasn't Kiba's day when it came to nasty blows it would seem.

"Gahh!" Kiba gasped and breathed in as much air as he possible could. The boy felt nauseous and if he was being honest, ready to hurl up the contents of his stomach and then some.

"Mutt, you have five seconds to get off the ground and back to your position or you lose," Anko was doing this because unless your opponent was stupid or cruel, or both, in the real world no ninja would allow another the chance to recover if they had the opportunity. It was either kill or be killed.

Kiba, either through sheer will or stubbornness, managed to rise to his feet and get to his side. Anko looked impassive as he got ready. The woman knew were he allowed to use his clan's famed **Gijū Ninpō: Shikyaku no Jutsu** (Imitation Beast Ninja Art: Four Legs Technique) his speed, strength, and reflexes would be greatly enhanced and the outcome would be much different. She knew Naruto would still have a chance of winning, but the match wouldn't be quite as easy. This was a disadvantage must clans had. Take away their ability to use a signature technique and they were more or less easy pickings most of the time.

"Ready, fight!"

Naruto rushed in once more and threw a punch at Kiba's face, rather than blocking it though Kiba grabbed the outstretched limb by the wrist instead and held on tight. Thrusting his other arm out, Kiba grabbed it as well and smirked and prepared to throw him his captive.

Naruto however merely grinned. Twisting his caught hands enough for him to grab a hold Kiba's own wrists, Naruto jerked forward and delivered a vicious head-butt to his opponent's face. Kiba remained momentarily stunned before he felt himself lose consciousness and fall to the ground.

"Winner, Naruto!" a stunned Iruka announced, it was a unique way to win to say the least.

"Ughhh," Naruto groaned and swayed a bit. Thick headed as many made him out to be the action still hurt and gave him a slight headache. " _Note to Self: Wear protective headgear when doing that move,_ " he groaned and watched as Iruka take Kiba to the school nurse.

"You know, when they say use your head they don't mean it literally, gaki," Anko chuckled. "Buck up though, there are a few more fights before it's all over," she said and proceeded to walk over to the other block of students with her ward and the other winners.

"Winner, Hyuga Hinata!" they heard Mizuki announce. As she made her way out of the ring, Mizuki spotted the group and cocked an eyebrow upon seeing Anko. "What the?" he muttered before seeing Iruka flicker in.

Looking between the two, Mizuki asked his fellow teacher, "Do I want to know?" to which the man merely shook his head.

"I'm in charge of this little tourney at the moment," Mizuki knew Anko well enough by reputation to know she wasn't asking, she was telling him. "Who are the winners?"

"Haruno Sakura, Hyuga Hinata, and Shikamaru Nara. There would have been an additional fight but two couldn't continue and needed to see the nurse while another one was disqualified for attempting to use Ninjutsu," Mizuki informed her.

"Didn't need to know the life story, Mizuki," Anko said and gave the winners a look over. " _So we have an Nara, a Hyuga and the Civy my gaki has a crush on,_ " Anko was surprised seeing a Nara actually considering they were legendary sloths.

The Hyuga was not very surprising considering he clan specialized in Taijutsu, " _Though from what Nai-chan said this kid's got a bit of issues thanks to her father,_ " Anko had never met Hiashi before but she had met other main family Hyuga members. Her honest opinion on most of them was that they had a ten-foot pole up their ass. _"The Civy's gotta be either lucky to make it this far or be one of the more competent ones._ "

Either way it mattered little to her, "Alright, then. Put your names in the box and let's draw," quickly jotting their names down and then mixing up the box they were then put in, Iruka began taking out names.

"Aburame Shino!" he announced as the first contestant before taking out a second, "Shikamaru Nara!"

"How troublesome," Shikamaru muttered. "I forfeit," Shikamaru announced and left to stand by his best friend.

" _Huaaah, Naras. Smart as hell but just as fucking lazy,_ " Anko groaned. She should have seen this coming. Whatever she'd let the kid's mother deal with it. Inoichi never let up how Yoshino ruled the Nara household with an iron fist, and cast-iron pan. Speaking of which, "Oi, Midori!"

" **Yes?"** the talking snake surprised many and frightened a few. Whispering something too low for anyone to hear, Midori nodded and slithered away.

"Right…" Iruka sighed and took another name, "Uchiha Sasuke and…Oh, boy, Uzumaki Naruto!"

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Rank: Academy Student**

 **Level: 13 Next Level: 1182/11000**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 2750**

 **CP: 4325**

 **STR: 57**

 **VIT: 91**

 **DEX: 99 (+5) = 104**

 **INT: 131**

 **WIS: 50.5**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 55**

 **Perk:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, ?

 **Special Perk**

 **Gamer:** Allows you to live your life like a video game. You still don't know much about it though, but who cares life is good.

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP and Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards Reputation, ?

 **Titles:**

 **Beginner Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu Swordsman:** +10% EXP and Effectiveness towards Kenjutsu, Stealth **,** Feints and Movement Speed,+2 DEX, +1 STR per Lv

 **Veteran Zombie Slayer:** 60% increase attack and defense against Undead, +20 towards stats when facing Undead, +25% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards reputation gain, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Description:** Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently an academy student with inspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. At the moment, Naruto is considered by many as a shoe in for the title of **Dead Last.**

 **Money** : 527,060 Ryo ~ (52,706$)

 **Attribute Points: 10**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Job: Ninken (Ninja Dog)**

 **Level: 11 Next Level: 6790/8700**

 **Reputation: Friendly (110/3000)**

 **Title: Naruto's Partner**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **Ninken Category: Hybrid "Guard and Tracking"**

 **HP: (650/650)**

 **CP: (250/250)**

 **STR: 22**

 **VIT: 26**

 **DEX: 33**

 **INT: 10**

 **WIS: 7**

 **LUK: 17**

 **DEF: 15**

 **Perks:**

 **Keen-Senses:** +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Ninja Dog:** Human Lifespan, Ability to Mould Chakra, Potential to speak human language

 **Komainu Lineage (Guard Dog):** +1 VIT, +1 STR per Lv, +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Biting Techniques, -10% Effectiveness and EXP towards Training and Reputation, "?"

 **Akita Lineage (Tracking Dog):** +2 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Tracking Skill, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Stealth, +10% towards Movement Speed during and outside combat

 **Special Perks:**

 **Gamer's Combat Pet:** A special perk that allows any of your combat pets the ability **Gamer's Body** , though they only earn a small amount of Attribute Points per level that you can allocate. However, this can be lost if you decide you don't want a certain pet or if your pet abandons you.

 **Titles:**

 **Journeyman Zombie Slayer:** 50% increase attack and defense against Undead, +15 stats when facing Undead, +20% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Attribute Points: 14**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Unexpected**

Many didn't know how to react the moment they heard both Naruto, the former Dead Last, and Sasuke, the top of the class and shoo-in for Rookie of the Year, were to face off against one another.

On one hand, Naruto had shown incredible improvement, evidence by him defeating Hibachi with a single blow to the head and then defeating Kiba, who was number two in Taijutsu in their year. On the other hand, Sasuke was a prodigy and never lost a single Taijutsu fight in his entire time at the academy. Coupled with his speed and ability to counter virtually any strike thrown at him, Sasuke's fighting style was no laughing matter. And Naruto knew this.

"Gaki, Uchiha, front and center," Anko ordered the two boys.

Both Naruto and Sasuke entered the fighting ring and stared at one another. The moment their eyes made contact the world outside the ring seized to exist. They were in their own world now. And their world was one where only two fighters, and ultimately one winner, resided. Making the Seal of Confrontation, both fighters then backed away and got into their respective stances.

"Ready, fight!" Anko shouted.

"Go, Sasuke-kun!" the boy's fangirls cheered.

Deciding to make the first move, Naruto launched himself at Sasuke and appeared at the Uchiha's side. Lashing out at the dark haired academy student with a kick, Sasuke managed to duck and roll just in time. Within a second the Uchiha then performed a spinning jump kick towards Naruto, only for the blond to block the attack by crossing his arms.

When the tactic failed, Sasuke backed away only to become surprised as Naruto appeared in front of him and throw a punch at the Uchiha's face. Sasuke managed to bat away the fist and went threw in a fist. Naruto barely managed to tilt his head out of the way in time and countered with another punch. The fist came in fast and Sasuke was unable to block the second one from striking him in the chest. The impact had enough force in it to send the air out of his lungs as well as send him skidding away.

"Point, Naruto!"

" _Fast,_ " Sasuke groaned as he got back up and winced. The stinging sensation from the blow had begun but Sasuke forced himself to ignore the pain and focus on the fight. The boy knew that Naruto was the faster of the two now, but Sasuke had better reflexes and knew how to read body language to an extent.

Getting back into position, Sasuke decided to make the first move this time the moment Anko shouted "Fight!" and Sasuke took off like a rocket! Naruto however merely met the boy head on and then ducked low. The Uchiha realized that the boy was performing a swipe in the hopes to trip him up and send him tumbling.

Sasuke leaped forward, Naruto's extended leg meeting the air below his body, and went into a roll. The Uchiha then planted his hands firmly on the ground and in a display of incredible gymnastics the boy pivoted and righted himself. With Naruto's back turned to him Sasuke took the advantage, pounced on the blond, and threw a punch at the back of his head.

But what the Uchiha didn't expect was the sudden donkey kick from the blond that struck Sasuke squarely in the face. The force behind the kick along with the Uchiha's speed made the impact much more painful than what was originally expected and a crack was heard amongst the crowd.

"Ghaaaaa!" Sasuke yelled in pain. His nose felt broken and bloody from the blow to his face. Many looked away or winced upon seeing the appendage. It wasn't a pretty sight.

"Point, Naruto!" Anko said before moving into to help Sasuke. "Normally I'd leave you like this cuz in the battlefield there are gonna be moments where you'll be forced to fight in this condition. That being said if you're nose is broken we're gonna need to stop. Can't risk it getting worse or you may need surgery," Anko told him.

"I'm not quitting!" the boy grunted despite the pain he felt and Anko had to admit the kid had balls. Looking it over for a moment Anko finally came up with a diagnosis. The woman wasn't a medic but had a good deal of understanding and knowledge on the human anatomy.

"You'll still need to see the nurse after but luckily for you this is fixable. It's gonna hurt though," she told him and placed her thumbs on the side of his nose.

"I don't care just fix ARRRGHHHHH!" Sasuke howled in agony at the sudden jerk Anko performed. The woman was physically realigning the boy's nose. Many cringed even more and several of Sasuke's fangirls were distraught or fainted upon seeing what was happening to the boy. The process was quick, relatively speaking of course, as Anko had done this sort of thing countless times in the field to herself and friends. However, the procedure was by no means painless, especially for firsttimers

"There you go, Duckbutt. Good as new," Anko slapped the groaning Uchiha on the back, nearly making him fall over. "You good to go?"

Breathing in as best he could to try and dull the pain, Sasuke nodded and got back into position, " _You'll pay for that, Dobe,_ " the boy scowled as he saw the blond.

"Ready and fight!" Anko shouted.

Both combatants met each other in the middle of the ring and began throwing blows at one another. None made contact except with the occasional block or being batted away. At the moment, Sasuke's anger, both at the pain and the fact he was losing, was fuelling his strikes. However, unlike Kiba's sloppy ones, Sasuke's strikes were faster and slightly more focused. Both boys threw punchs, kicks, elbows, even knee strikes at the other in the hopes of landing a hit.

Finally Sasuke managed a break when Naruto made a mistake and overreached on a punch. The Uchiha took the opportunity to grab hold, drag the blond across his leg and effectively tripped him. With no balance holding him up, Sasuke countered with a vicious front kick on Naruto's side and sent his opponent outside the ring face first into the dirt.

"Go, Sasuke-kun!" the fangirls cheered along with several of the students who didn't care for Naruto.

"Point, Sasuke!" Anko shouted once again. " _Come on, gaki. Show them you can go all the way._ "

" _You can do it, Naruto-kun,_ " Hinata mentally cheered the boy on. Seeing him get this far astounded the pale-eyed girl. Naruto certainly came a long way from being Dead Last, but seeing him fight Sasuke and actually beating him was inspiring. If Naruto could do this, what's to say she couldn't do the same?

Naruto merely scowled as he got off the ground, his fists, clenched in anger for making such a mistake, "Ready, fight!"

Once more the two decided to get in close. The two throwing a flurry of blows at one another, with Sasuke performing counters that proved almost futile thanks to Naruto's superior speed or the blond blocking just in time.

"It's over!" Naruto declared as he threw in punch only for it to be caught by Sasuke, much to his embarrassment. Throwing in another punch, Sasuke caught Naruto's wrist and smirked. Kicking out at his locked and immobile opponent to get in a point, Sasuke and many others were caught off guard when Naruto jumped and wrapped his legs around Sasuke's torso. The sudden move sent both boys to the ground.

Anko saw both boys struggled and grappled in the hopes of getting on top to try and get into a better position. With his greater strength Naruto managed to get on top but the boy's hands were still locked in front of Sasuke. But Anko knew that the boy wasn't bugging either and with his arms in front of his face the woman also knew that Naruto wouldn't be able to perform a head-butt like he did with Kiba.

" _What are you gonna do now, gaki?_ " she wondered how Naruto was going to get out of this. When she saw Naruto smirk the woman guessed the boy was about to do something. And Anko guesses it was going to be something good, too.

When Naruto opened his hands, Sasuke felt a sudden, unexpected, and painful sensation in his eyes. On reflex the boy released Naruto and brought his hands up to his face to wipe it away. By the time his mind realized what he had done it was too late and the boy felt a punch on his chest. He had lost.

"Point, and winner of the match, Uzumaki Naruto!" a shocked Iruka announced at the unexpected outcome.

"That's my gaki!" Anko whopped at her ward's victory.

"Win!? He cheated!"

"Yeah! We all saw it! He threw dirt in Sasuke-kun's eyes!" another student shouted.

" _Dirt? It was dirt?_ " Sasuke had been defeated because dirt had gotten into his eyes? The boy continued to try and rub said dirt out of them in the hopes of seeing his opponent and pay him back for the underhanded move.

"He only won because he fought dirty and-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU BRATS!" Anko bellowed and many were now shaking. Iruka had often yelled during class whenever it got too loud but this was on a whole different level. This woman was radiating anger upon them like a cloak.

"You think this is a game? You think an enemy you face is gonna play fair? Hell no!" Anko shouted. Her announcement made them stop their ranting and pay attention. Sasuke stopped his internal one too and listened to the woman.

"Anko," Iruka was quickly silenced by the look the woman gave him.

"Shut it, Umino, these little shits need to hear this," she rounded back on the academy students who flinched at the woman's gaze. "To start, I was here at the beginning of this whole thing along with a few others and saying we weren't impressed by some of you is sugar coating it," most future Jounin sensei's candidates did the same when looking for potential students, "Umino said you couldn't use Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, or Bukijutsu. Last I recalled throwing dirt into someone's eyes had nothing to do with chakra."

"It's still cheating!" someone said and Naruto thought whoever did that was either very brave or very dumb to defy Anko. He was leaning more towards the latter.

"Who the fuck cares. So what if the gaki cheated. We're ninja! Cheating and playing dirty are what we do. We do everything and anything to win. We're not training you to be samurai here if you're wanting a fair fight. Plus Umino never said anything about not playing dirty now did he?"

The students all blinked at that and looked at their teacher who merely nodded, "It's true. All I said was no Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, or Bukijutsu. I never said you weren't allowed to play dirty," truthfully it was a hidden test the academy had that many never accomplished. Most had forgotten about the test actually because of it rarely being figured out. For Naruto, the former Dead Last, to figure it out meant something about his skills.

Sasuke scowled. Both at the fact that he had lost and having not realized that bit of information and the fact that Naruto did. What Naruto did was legal and despite wanting to dispute it, Anko's words were true. A ninja was meant to fight dirty, many of his family members such as his mother having said so he recalled. While pissed at the fact he lost in such a way, Sasuke begrudgingly acknowledge that what Naruto had just done was to be expected in the future.

" _You win this round. But the next time we fight your tricks won't work on me twice, Dobe,_ " loathed as he wanted to admit it though, Sasuke had to applaud Naruto for his quick thinking. But the Uchiha vowed not to lose next time.

"Hell, out of all the students here only a few of you have what it takes to be ninja, the gaki here included," she pointed her thumb at her ward. "You think that the enemy you'll face will fight fairly? You think they'll give you time to recover? Hell no! You're either a dumb ass or gonna be pushing up daisies if you think so otherwise. An enemy that surrenders can easily stab you in the back the moment you let your guard down. A person will do almost anything to survive or win. For example," here she appeared behind Iruka with two serpents poised to strike at his jugular, and tossed Naruto a kunai.

"Gaki, take that kunai and slice the Uchiha's throat or else Umino dies," she threatened and using its fang one of her serpents drew a slight amount of blood from Iruka's throat. Much to the horror of students for how callously she said it and the sight of precious life fluid slithering down his neck.

"I can't," Naruto said.

"Why not?"

"Because even if I had the intention of killing the teme," here Sasuke's fan girls scowled at him, "What's stopping you from killing, Iruka-sensei? As much I don't want Iruka-sensei to die, you have all the leverage," Naruto begrudgingly admitted and Anko smiled. "On the upside at least this way we don't get to hear his history lessons anymore."

"Naruto!" Iruka shouted at the little shit, making Anko laugh at the comment.

"Other then the history bit, good answer," Anko released Iruka. "The gaki's right. Even if he killed the Uchiha there's nothing that prevents me from killing Umino anyway. Were this in the battlefield, instead of facing three Genin and a Jounin I'd now have two Genin at my mercy because two members of their team are now dead. With three members left you have a better chance at survival, slightly better but it's better than nothing. That was one thing he did right, can anyone tell me what was the other?"

The academy students were left stunned by the question and when it looked like no one was about to answer Anko took matters into her own hands, "Oh, for the love of," she sounded off a string of colorful swears, "Pinky!" she called Sakura out, "What did he do right?"

"Um, not kill Sasuke-kun?" she answered.

"Besides that," Anko asked once more.

"Uh, he didn't charge in?"

"Good answer, still wrong. Big Bone!" Anko shouted at Chouji, "Same question."

"Um…" Chouji honestly didn't know, "He thought his actions through?"

"Yes, but wrong! Pale Eyes!" she called Hinata out, earning an eep from the girl, "What did he do right?"

"A … ano," Hinata stuttered from being put on the spotlight but answered still, "He stalled for time?"

"Bingo! Someone gets it. Thank you," Anko was happy to see at least one of them get it and the praise caused Hinata to blush, even more so when Naruto grinned at her. "Stalling for time. Believe it or not a single second in the ninja world can decide if someone lives or dies. By stalling for time as much as he could the gaki could have given another shinobi the opportunity to arrive, sneak up and disarm me. Letting Umino go free and allowing the gaki or someone else to charge in and land a blow that could either kill me or knock me out."

Many actually began to contemplate her words, some even glancing at Naruto. It wasn't in awe though, more curious and confusing really. For so long many had thought Naruto to be a talentless loser who got bad grades at everything he did. Some still did even when his grades started getting better. Now though some began to think that maybe it wasn't the case.

"All right, enough about that, put the gaki's name back and let's get on with it," Anko announced.

"Wait you're putting his name back in?" a student asked.

"Damn straight," Anko nodded, "When you're in the field anything can happen. You may have won the first fight but you can just as easily find yourself facing off against someone else."

While Iruka wouldn't have done this, the man couldn't fault Anko's reasoning. In less than two months the students would graduate, should they pass that is, and it was his job to make sure they were prepared as best as he could. Many of them weren't ready at the moment.

"Next we'll have Haruno Sakura and … … Uzumaki Naruto!" several students cringed upon hearing that. It was no secret Naruto was infatuated with the pink haired academy student. Too bad for him it was completely one-sided seeing as how she was one of Sasuke's fangirls.

"… _Shit!_ " Naruto cursed, " _It just had to be Sakura-chan_ ," Naruto thought. Fighting Sasuke was one thing. The boy had been wanting to fight him for a long time since he lost against him years ago. Fighting Sakura as different however.

"Gaki if you throw a match or go easy on her because of a fucking one-sided crush you're gonna regret it," Anko's harsh words made him cringe.

The woman had taken to know as much as she could about her student and found out about his crush on the pink haired girl. The woman wasn't impressed with the boy's choice. Not only was his affections one-sided, to which the pink haired civilian had made her intentions crystal clear, but the boy had no tact and could not take a hint. Persistence was good and all, but at some point one needed to take a hint or back off rather than fan the flames.

Anko would freely admit that the girl was very intelligent for someone her age, smarter than even some Chunin. Her chakra control was phenomenal as well, even if part of the reason was because of how small her reserves were. However, Anko knew that intelligence alone meant nothing on the battlefield. Physically the girl was sorely lacking. Her stamina and chakra levels were below average, even with her father being a former Genin, and her speed wasn't all that impressive either compared to the Yamanaka and Hyuga. They were still much better than the rest of the civilian academy students, but low still. Unfortunately, the academy now placed a higher emphasis on academics than the practical aspect.

" _If I ever find out who's responsible,_ " she mentally snarled. Needless to say Anko's fury would make them wish they hadn't been born should she catch them. Shaking her head of such thought, Anko said, "To your positions!"

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Tough Decisions!**

 **Main Quest: Win the Fight!**

 **Main Quest: Take a Dive!**

 **Main Quest 1: Completion: 200 EXP, +500 Reputation with Anko, -500 Reputation with Sakura, ?**

 **Main Quest 2: Completion: 200 EXP, +500 Reputation with Sakura, -500 Reputation with Anko, ?**

 **Quest is mandatory**

* * *

Naruto honestly felt conflicted at the moment. If he lost the fight Sakura would be happy and he'd get reputation points with her but would lose some major ones with Anko and vice versa if he won. There was also factoring in the "?". Naruto didn't know what it was and was almost afraid to find out.

Breathing in Naruto thought about this logically, most likely it was his Gamer's Mind kicking in. If he won, Naruto would merely lose reputation point that he could get back with Sakura. If he lost he'd be unable to continue the other quest that would increase his Taijutsu and other rewards. When he weighed the pros and cons, Naruto realised he'd essential get even more if he won the fight.

" _Sorry, Sakura-chan,_ " Naruto hoped the girl would forgive him and got into fighting position.

"You'll pay for what you did to Sasuke-kun, Naruto!" Sakura scowled. Anko and the two academy teachers could clearly see that the girl's anger was getting the best of her and clouding her common sense and judgement.

"Begin!" Anko shouted.

Sakura's charge at Naruto was terrible. While she was one of the better academy students and her speed was much greater than a civilian, it was evident that Sakura was physically lacking among ninja standards.

When she was but a few steps away from him, Naruto dodged her punches with ease. Had this been a couple of months ago the outcome would be different. Now however Naruto saw her punches as if they were coming at him in slow motion. Rather than hit her, Naruto grabbed Sakura's extended leg and pushed the girl out of the ring with it.

"Point, Naruto!" Iruka said and Anko smiled whilst he saw Sakura scowl.

" _Damn it,_ " the scowl she directed was one of pure anger. But Naruto had made his decision. He couldn't let up or let Sakura win.

"Begin!"

Sakura didn't charge in again like she did before. Instead she opted a defensive stance. Anko had to admit that it was a pretty good one, " _The girl's certainly got the academy kata down,_ " but it wasn't enough against a physically superior opponent, and Anko wasn't impressed. Her point was proven when Naruto sudden appeared on Sakura's left and pushed the girl out of the ring once again before she could react to his presence.

The match was clearly one sided. That much was evident. Unlike Ino who would use her feminine charms in a fight to help her win, Iruka knew well enough that Sakura was was only flirty outside of combat. The man had seen enough.

"Winner, Naruto!" both students were shocked that the next round wasn't declared.

"But we still have one more round!?" Sakura stated.

"Girly if this were a real fight I'd have killed you in several ways before you had time to blink," was Anko's blunt answer.

"Sakura-chan-" Naruto went to help his crush only to get an angry and sad look from the girl. Naruto felt the words die in his throat as he saw her get up and move as far away from him. While he wanted to go after her, the boy knew better. Sakura was angry and emotional. When that happened she stopped thinking rationally and got physical. Both he and Kiba were often on the receiving end of her fist when they pissed her off.

* * *

 **[QUEST COMPLETED!]**

 **Tough Decisions!**

 **Main Quest: Win the Fight! (Accomplished)**

 **Main Quest: Take a Dive! (Failed)**

 **Rewards: 200 EXP, +500 Reputation with Anko, -500 Reputation with Sakura.**

 **For not taking a dive you're relationship with Anko remains strong however your actions have also soured your reputation with Sakura. Actions have consequences, and your relationship with Sakura will not go beyond friendship!**

* * *

" _Are you fucking kidding me!_ " Naruto couldn't believe it getting any worse, yet was proven wrong. A simple fight such as this wrecked any chance he'd have at a relationship with Sakura-chan. It was bullshit really. " _Fan-fucking-tastic!"_ Naruto was glad his relationship with Anko was still intact, but the blond was still angry about what just happened regardless. Actually now that he thought about it, Naruto wondered what would have happened if he took a dive.

" _If me taking a dive means a potential relationship, does it also mean Anko would have stopped being my friend?_ " the mere thought of it actually gave him pause. Out of all the people in Konoha, Anko was one of the few who had actually taken the time to teach him and do things properly. The woman had actually helped him. Instead of casting him aside or think him to be nothing more than a loser like the vast majority of Konoha.

"Though she did say some of my skills sucked," he recalled, but even then she helped improved them. " _Ah, damn it this it too freakin confusing,_ " Naruto was conflicted.

"Oi, Umino, take over. Looks like the gaki needs a pep talk," Anko told him and took a hold of her pupil by the shoulder. Iruka nodded once his gaze locked on Naruto's form. The man knew the boy had a crush on the pink haired girl. Fighting and defeating her probably wasn't an easy decision despite the fight clearly being one-sided.

"How you feeling, kid," Anko finally asked him when they were a good distance away.

"Like crap," Naruto told her.

"Crushes come and go, gaki. Believe me."

"It's not a crush its love," Naruto said but Anko laughed.

"Love? Kid you're twelve. And as harsh as it sounds you're background doesn't exactly make you an expert on what love is," it harsh and blunt, but it was the reality of it all. Naruto's understanding of love was flawed, very flawed. The boy knew kindness, yes, but love was completely different and the boy was confusing the two.

Naruto scowled at the woman for that, "It's love… and it's not just that."

Anko rolled her eyes at his stubbornness but listened anyway, "Go on."

"My ability said that because I didn't take a dive my relationship with Sakura wouldn't go past friendship," to Naruto it felt like something was being taken from him without the ability to fight back or do something about it.

"Ah, I see," Anko now understood, "Gaki let me ask you this. What did you see in her in the first place?"

"Huh?"

"I mean what got you attracted to her? From what I've seen it was pretty clear she had no intention of dating you," Naruto scowled when he heard that, "the girl has eyes all over the Uchiha like the rest of those fan girls of his. And no offence but you can do a hell of a lot better than her," Anko said.

"What!" Naruto was now angry that she said such a thing. "Sakura's the best!"

"Academically, yes. As a kunoichi she's piss poor and needs to shape up before I even consider calling her one," seeing him flare up Anko decided to go with another tactic, "But you still haven't answer my question gaki. Why are you attracted to her?"

As he went to respond, Naruto couldn't find the words to say how felt, "Did she do anything to make you crush on her?" she asked.

"No," he answered.

"Has she ever said anything nice to you before?"

Now that he thought about it, "Not really. I mean during our first year she was nicer but then she-"

"Ok, now I get it," Anko understood, "Gaki, hate to break this to ya but what you feel ain't love or really a crush. It's a desire for something you lack. Let me guess. During your first year when you all started you wanted to prove you were all hot shit right?"

"…Yeah," Naruto nodded.

"But it didn't really work out and before you gained a rep as the class clown and loser she probably said something nice to you, right?" again Naruto nodded, "But then you gained the rep and as Sakura got older she stopped being nice and her attention was more focused on the Uchiha, right?" another nod on his part.

"Don't you fucking see? The girl was one of the few to give you positive attention and you didn't want it to go away! Just like with Konoha you resorted to pranks to get attention and to get her attention you started annoying her to try and make her like you to get it back. But you kept fucking up. In your mind you thought maybe it was ok so long as she spoke or paid attention to you, but it doesn't work that way, kiddo."

"…"

"Gaki I'm gonna be honest. Your affections for her are pathetic and non-existent," Anko ignored his hurt look, "It is. You're trying to get negative attention from a girl who doesn't want it and you're just making it worse! You don't care anymore if the attention you get from her is good or bad. The only attention you should be getting is good and it ain't happening. Love doesn't work that way," Anko.

" _Stop,_ " he thought.

"Do you know what she likes?"

" _Stop._ "

"What's her favourite color? What she likes to eat?" Anko continued.

" _Please stop."_

"What are here favourite activities? Her pastimes? What does she want to do in the future?"

" _Stop it!"_

"Does she even believe you can become Hokage?" the last one was the final nail on the coffin and Naruto fell to his knees, tears falling from his eyes. The boy's head felt heavy for a moment before his Gamer's Mind kicked in and took a load off. He didn't want to admit it, but it was true. He knew none of those things, and Sakura didn't believe he could become Hokage.

"I know you don't like hearing this Naruto. But it has to be said. If you can't accept the reality of it it's not going to end well. It's obvious that deep down you know it won't work out."

"Why…why the hell do you think that?" Naruto wondered where she got that from.

"Because you wouldn't have chosen me over if you thought otherwise," Anko finished. "If it was love or infatuation you would have chosen the girl. Honestly, I'm touched, gaki. Hardly anyone's ever picked me over someone else. Usually it's the opposite."

"…Does it get any easier?" Naruto asked. "What I'm feeling?"

Anko looked at him and gave her honest answer, "No, it doesn't, gaki. Crushes come and go, and opportunities to love and fall in love are the same. But sometimes realizing the reality that your love may or may not happen or even work out is something that will never go away. I know it hurts, I've been there, and it'll take a while, but in time you'll realize that you and Sakura weren't meant to be," Anko also thought the boy could do a hell of a lot better than Sakura at the moment. As she was now Sakura was an excuse of a kunoichi like many others, but Anko knew that the girl could potentially come around.

"Besides, just because you're not together doesn't mean you can't be friends ya know," here she smiled, "Some people just ain't meant to be together and are better off that way. You want to be in a relationship, go ahead. Baby steps first though. You may be a Genin in a couple of months but lay off the boyfriend/girlfriend crap till you get older and focus on here and now. Who knows what the future has for you. Anything can happen."

As she finished, Naruto wiped away his tears. The pain was still there, and while the speech helped, it would take a while to truly get over it, "Thanks, Anko-sensei."

"Bah! Enough of this mushy feely touchy crap!" the woman proceeded to give him a noogie, "It's gonna ruin my reputation!" Anko honestly was just pulling some of this stuff out of her ass. The woman had never really comforted someone like this before.

"Tch," Naruto lightly chuckled and returned to the ring in time to see Hinata being declared the winner lose against Shino. The match had been close as while Hinata had the upper hand in Taijutsu the Aburame had more confidence and precise strikes.

When both Naruto and Hinata faced off against each other, Hinata's performance became sloppy. The boy had managed to land a blow on the girl, even if it was a light one. It was obvious the girl had difficulties concentrating and while she managed to block, and evade his strikes as best she could and shoot in some of her own, none made contact with him.

"Begin!" Iruka declared on the potential final round. Naruto was the superior fighter but Hinata could surprise them. Her strikes and shots were much more precise and fluid that Sakura's and she had done much better in her other matches according to Mizuki. It was only because of her crush on Naruto that prevented her from fighting properly. " _At least the girl's actually fighting who she's attracted to instead of given up,"_ Anko knew about the crush through Kurenai and while Anko didn't care much for them at least the girl was willing to fight. It was a plus in her books.

Iruka watched as Naruto appeared at Hinata's side and made to strike. However, the Hyuga stumbled on her foot and bumped into the blond. Both Naruto and Hinata fell over on top of one another and the next thing he knew the man heard Anko laughing at their predicament. Both academy students' lips were pressed against the others'.

"Ahh! Sorry," Naruto apologized, got off her and hoped the girl didn't hit him for the accident. To his surprise though Hinata remained still, "Uh… Hinata?"

Appearing in the ring, still laughing, Anko clicked her fingers in front of the girl's eyes and was shocked to see she had fainted with her eyes open, "She's out, gaki. Gotta say this win's one for the books."

"She's out? Did she hit her head?" Anko and many others shook their heads or groaned. While he improved, Naruto was still Naruto it would seem.

" _Great, that's one more thing I have to teach him,_ " there was no way in hell she was going to have Naruto remain a clueless idiot. But before she could tell him, an Anbu appeared on the field and called her out.

"Mitarashi-san, the Hokage request your attendance immediately," the bird masked Anbu informed her.

"Yeah, I'll get right on it," the moment she finished did the Anbu flicker and disappear. "Well, that's a wrap, kiddos. See ya, gaki and congratz on the win," Anko smirked before she flickered away like the Anbu.

* * *

 **[QUEST COMPLETED!]**

 **Ready, Fight!**

 **Main Quest: Become one of the Top 3 Fighters (Accomplished)**

 **Side Quest: Become the Top Fighter (Accomplished)**

 **Hidden Objective: Pass Hidden Test! (Accomplished)**

 **Total Rewards: 1150 EXP, +3 STR, 500 Reputation with Iruka, Advanced Academy Taijutsu Scroll, + 3 Attribute Points**

* * *

"Anko's right, Naruto. You won the tourney," Iruka smiled and handed the boy a scroll, "You've earned this."

It took a second before Naruto realized he had done it. He had won the fights. "Yeah!"

"Arf!" Hottomaru barked at his partner's happiness.

Many in the training area still couldn't believe it though. The Dead Last had one the fighting tourney and made it look almost like child-splay.

" _Can this day get any better,_ " the blond wondered as he and his ninken left the academy grounds to go and meet with Hiruzen.

(Meanwhile)

"Are… are you serious," Anko was wide-eyed, staring in disbelief at the new vest she was now holding.

"One hundred percent, Anko," Hiruzen smiled. The man had seen everything she did through his crystal ball and knew he was making the right choice. "While some are against it, I am the Hokage and you've earned your promotion to Jounin."

The woman was speechless. When she had been called to his office, Anko thought the man merely wanted her report on the mission that took so long. Getting promoted to Jounin was the last thing on her mind. "Hokage-sama… Thank you."

"You've earned it, Anko," the man smiled and saw her try to discreetly wipe away a tear, "Now then, I know it's early but have you considered what we discussed before we left?"

The discussion he referred to had been Anko becoming a Jounin sensei. While full fledge Jounin were often in that position, it wasn't uncommon for a Tokubestu Jounin to have a Genin team of his or her own.

"Yeah, I did… What the hell I'll give it a shot," she grinned. The woman knew she was going to have to teach a group sometime in the future, most Jonin did, might as well do it now with Naruto and two others she had her eye on.

"Excellent then. As soon as the other Jounin get here we can begin then," Hiruzen stated.

Five minutes later the office of the Hokage started filling up with Jounin. Upon spotting Anko with a Jounin vest those closest to her congratulated the woman on her promotion. Others were shocked that the woman got the promotion and the fact she was also being considered as a potential instructor candidate.

"Congratz, Anko," Kakashi was the last one to enter and praise the woman for her achievement. Never once looking away from his newest piece of literature, or as Kurenai liked to call it, pornographic trash.

"Now that you've all gathered I believe we can begin," Hiruzen starred at the many would be Jounin instructors.

"I'm surprised Hatake's on time for once," Anko spoke, wearing her new Jonin vest with pride. Though Anko would most likely forgo wearing it around Konoha and stick to her regular attire. The woman still couldn't get over her promotion. Relatively speaking Anko had now replaced Kurenai as the rookie of the group. In all honesty, if one were to ask Anko if she was to become a Jounin sensei some months back she would have laughed in their face. That mindset had changed since she met and began training Naruto.

"Hmm, did you say something, Anko?" many chuckled or sighed at the man's antics.

"I ain't Gai, Kakashi. That's not gonna work on me. Oh, and by the way, Saiki ends up with Noriko," she finished and gave a devilish smirk to the man reading the newest edition of Icha Icha. Several men groaned or began weeping, much to the disgust of several kunoichi.

"Why am I not surprised," Kurenai sighed at her friend's attics. Anko had always been sexually promiscuous, using her sex appeal to her advantage on several occasions and reading such books to help give her ideas. The woman didn't whore around like many thought her to be, but the woman didn't exactly do herself any favors at times. "Wait, isn't Saiki a woman's name?"

Anko merely gave Kurenai a blank look, "Yeah, what's your point?"

"Oh, lovely," the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha scrunched up her face in disgust. The woman didn't bother hiding it from the perverts in the room. Part of her wasn't surprised that there would be such a theme in these types of books.

"… Well, that was just mean," Kakashi sulked at finding out an important piece of plot. He'd still read it but it wouldn't be as thrilling.

"Man that's just sad," Asuma chuckled.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you, Asuma," Anko shot back and the man stiffened, even more so when he saw Kurenai shifting her gaze towards him. "As I recall you also-"

"Ahahddahahh," the man covered Anko's face before she could finish. Though it didn't stop Kurenai from scowling at her secret lover. "Now I don't know what you're talking about… You can lick my hand all you want I'm not gonna OOUCCH!" the man took his hand away, a bite mark firmly visible on the palm.

"Tasty, but I could do without the ash after taste," Anko licked her lips and made several shudder.

While looking impassive at the event happening before him, mentally Hiruzen weep. The man not only had just gotten the book from his student but also only just recently started reading it. " _Damn it, Anko._ "

Getting the room back under order, Hiruzen began the meeting once more, "Settle down, everyone," the man had their full attention. "Now then. As you all know the academy graduation ceremony is less than a couple of months away. All of you were given a report of the potential future Genin the academy has to offer. Do any of you have suggestions on who you want?"

"I do, I do!" Anko jumped up and down, her arm waving in the air like a child.

"Yes, Anko," the man was surprised how eager she was.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Yamanaka Ino, and Hyuga Hinata!" Anko announced.

"I can understand Naruto but why the other two, Anko?" Hiruzen asked. Truthfully the man knew his son wanted to continue the tradition of forming the InoShikaCho team with the newest generation and Kurenai had a vested interest in Hiashi's daughter.

"Simple, I know the gaki in and out and still have tons to teach him for one. Two, Inoichi's brat surprised me the last time I saw her and she's got guts. Her natural flexibility and her clan's techniques and background make her the perfect candidate to learn about interrogation."

"You plan to teach a child interrogation?" Iruka asked in disbelief.

"The moment they put on the headband is the moment they stop being kids, Umino," Anko scowled and the man flinched. "Besides, in the past the Yamanaka begin teaching kids the basics of interrogation should they ever meet someone capable of resisting their mind techniques."

"And the Hyuga?" Hiruzen asked.

"Easy. Her eyes allow for long range scouting and her Taijutsu allows her to disable her opponents when she gets in close," Anko reasoned. "Of course she's gonna need some work done."

Kurenai frowned at the words but couldn't help but agree with her friend's assessment. Hinata had confidence issues, partially in fault to her father and her traumatic childhood. Having lost her mother because of childbirth on the same night she lost her uncle and was roughly kidnapped by the Kumo ambassador years ago.

"So you're trying to create a Tracking, Capture and Interrogation Team?" Kakashi assessed.

"In a manner of speaking," Anko acknowledged. "Because of his incredible levels of chakra coupled with his speed and strength Naruto's gonna be the muscle of the three. When you include that mutt of his they can basically beat the hell out of their opponents and wear them down. Hotto's got keen senses too, so he'll be able to detect things we may miss and shouldn't be underestimated. With her eyes Hinata's the scout and the one who immobilizes them with her love taps," Kurenai smirked lightly. The woman would have loved to see the Hyuga Clan's reaction to Anko calling their famed taijutsu the Gentle Fist as "love taps."

"When you factor in her chakra control and her basic medical skills the girl could also be classified as the team medic. Lord knows how banged up the gaki gets when we train," several Jounin just deadpanned at that tidbit of information. Anko rarely did things half assed and her methods, while unorthodox and intense were effective. "The Yamanaka is simple. She's the infiltrator, the interrogator, and a potentially deadly femme fatale."

"Femme fatale?" Asuma had to admit that was a first during one of these.

"The girl's young but she'll easily grow up into a beauty and start turning heads. Already is actually. She used her sex appeal to fight a superior opponent and almost won. The girl's got brains, wit, charms and looks as a weapon. Combine that with some poison and a bit of refinement and you've got yourself a deadly kunoichi," Anko knew that while Hinata and Ino wouldn't really be powerhouses like Naruto and Hottomaru they had other strengths going for them that neither males had.

"Hmm, interested," Hiruzen mused. While it was uncommon for a team to have two kunoichi, three if one counted the Jounin, and one male shinobi it happened nonetheless. Both Naruto's mother and Hinata's mother had been part of a three kunoichi team along with Uchiha Mikoto. One that was led by his late wife, Biwako. Having a team with only one male Genin and the rest being female wasn't that bad or disconcerting. "Do I hear any counters?"

"I actually wanted Ino to restart the InoShikaCho trio. We all know how deadly and effective the past generations have been," Asuma said.

"And I actually wanted Hinata under my care seeing as how I've known her the longest and know what she needs to improve on. With a little training and being teamed up with Shino and Kiba they'd make an excellent tracking team," Kurenai explained.

"I'm good really. It would have been interesting to teach Naruto some ninjutsu but his fighting style and what he has is too different from my own. It would clash more so than anything," Kakashi said. While he would have liked to have taught his sensei's son the man wasn't going to jeopardize his growth under Anko from what he heard about the boy.

"Hmm," Hiruzen stroked his beard, contemplating what he was going to do.

"Yeah, right," he heard Anko mutter.

"Problem, Anko?" Hiruzen asked.

"Permission to speak freely, Hokages-sama?" she asked.

"Granted," the elderly man knew he might regret it but honestly wished to hear what she had to say.

"Both Nai-chan and Asuma's suggestions are flawed as hell," Anko honestly said. "And that's sugar coating it."

"Explain," Hiruzen asked her, all the while applauding the woman for toning down the usual profanity.

"Ok, I'll admit with the smokestack that the InoShikaCho team has been used and done for generations and to deadly effect," Anko admitted and Asuma didn't look insulted by the nickname. "That being said, sir, it's been done time and time again. New chapter, same old content. We're ninja and to win fights we need to be unpredictable."

"Yeah, what's your point?" Asuma asked.

"The InoShikaCho isn't unpredictable. Sure their teamwork is recorded as being one of the best in ninja history. But here's the thing. They've been doing the same song and dance routine since the time they were founded centuries ago. You know what that means? The way they fight, they way they think, basically everything about the InoShikaCho teams have been recorded throughout history. Which means that during that timespan the enemy has come up with ways to counter their moves. Sure they make an awesome and fearsome team but put them against someone who knows how to fight them and they are almost sitting ducks. Their strengths are their biggest weakness. Their techniques are still deadly and useful, but are only really effective when used in tandem with each others. But if you teach one of them something they don't know, something the enemy wont expect and catch em off guard."

"And the enemy is left at their mercy," Kurenai finished.

"Exactly. Unfortunately, I know that smokestack here isn't going to do that based on his past reputation," Asuma didn't bother denying it. The man was laid back and didn't bother doing things unless they were necessary. "You can have the Nara and the Akimichi for all I care. I got no time or desire to teach lazy bums."

"And the Hyuga girl?" Kakashi asked her.

"Quite frankly, I and don't say this to be mean, Nai-chan. Her growth and skill as a kunoichi at the moment will be hampered under Kurenai," was Anko's blunt answer. Many near them backed away with the exception of Kakashi and Asuma. While it was unlikely, both knew they may have to restrain them if it came to that.

"I beg your pardon!" Kurenai looked and was insulted by the comment made by her friend. "I've known Hinata for a long time and I know what she needs. You've been Jounin for less than a day now, Anko. What makes you the expert all of a sudden?" she asked hotly, her Ice Queen of Konoha persona coming into play.

"Two months, Nai-chan," Anko's response confused not only Kurenai but several of the other Jounin too. "In two months since I was assigned as the gaki's mentor I managed get him to do better at the academy. Not only that but many thought the brat was gonna be the Dead Last, too. Guess what, thanks to me the gaki's now in the middle ranking," Anko acknowledged that part of it was also thanks to his unique Gamer ability. However, none here needed to know that and the kunoichi still played a major role in it too despite said ability.

"A lot of people thought it was impossible for the gaki to show improvement, Nai-chan. Not only did he thrash those wannabe ninja during the Taijutsu bout half an hour ago, but he also beat the top of the class in taijutsu."

"What?" Kurenai was left in disbelief, and she wasn't the only one.

"That's right. The Gaki beat the Inuzuka and the Uchiha," she smirked. "Ask Umino, he organized the whole thing till I took over."

Anko's words had many Jounin looking at the academy instructor for confirmation. Iruka for his part merely nodded with a smile, "It's true. Naruto defeated both Kiba and Sasuke."

"Damn," Asuma was pretty impressed. The man had heard about Sasuke being a prodigy like his older brother and with Uchiha Clan's Sekkendo Taijutsu style it wouldn't be an easy fight. It was an impressive fighting style that was only enhanced by the Sharingan, but even it was very effective and formidable. Likewise the Inuzuka were known for their Taijutsu as well and their speed and feints were pretty well known.

"You need to face facts, Nai-chan. You're coddling the kid. You're too emotionally attached to push her beyond her limits. I'm attached to the gaki but I don't let it impede me from pushing him. I've done in two months what you have yet to do in two years. I'm not saying you didn't do anything, the girl's better than what she used to be. And I know that they're both different, the gaki's got more piss and vinegar in him, but two years and with little improvement-"

"Stop," Kurenai's eyes were shadowed and her fists were trembling. "Please stop, Anko."

"I've heard enough as well," Hiruzen butted in before it escalated further. "I've made a decision. Anko, pending their results at the academy and should they pass I'm assigning Yamanaka Ino, Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata under your tutelage as Team 8," he smirked, "but you get to tell Inoichi, Shikaku, and Chouza why the next formation of InoShikaCho is being skipped a generation."

"… Ah, shit," the other Jounin laughed at her misfortune and wished to see that meeting.

One by one the Jounin informed Hiruzen on who they wanted to be a part of their team. With Kakashi his primary choice was Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Inuzuka Kiba. With Asuma it was Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, and Aburame Shino. When the last one was done, Hiruzen dismissed all of the Jounin except for Kurenai.

"I'm afraid you won't be getting a team this year, Kurenai," the man sadly informed the woman.

"Hokage-sama-" Kurenai began but stopped when Hiruzen raised his hand.

"Kurenai I have faith in your abilities to teach and lead others. I wouldn't have had you promoted otherwise," Kurenai smiled at the man's words.

"However, Anko is right. The facts speak for themselves and assigning Hyuga Hinata to you would be detrimental to her growth. And with the incident with your last student, I think it may be wise if I postponed you from taking the position of Jounin instructor at the moment," Kurenai winced and was glad that the office had only her and the Hokage at the moment.

The incident with Kurenai's last student, Kurama Yakumo, whom she had tutored part-time a year previous, had been a disaster. While the girl was born with a permanent illness that prevented her from performing the physical tasks of being a shinobi, she had incredible intelligence and creativity. She was also prodigious in the art of Genjutsu and in time Kurenai knew Yakumo could easily surpass her. Kurenai wouldn't be surprised if the girl had Yin Release either.

Then came the day she discovered Yakumo's secret when she overheard some Kurama Clan members. What she heard had been vague but Kurenai summed up that her powers had resulted in the creation of a second entity inside her. One that was supposedly of dark origin and the clan members feared she'd turn on them once she became powerful enough.

In the end, Kurenai did what she thought was best and sealed up the girl's powers to prevent them from getting out of control. A few members of the Kurama Clan hadn't been pleased with that little stunt. Kurenai ended up not only destroying a young girl's dream along with her faith and trust in her but ruined a clan's chance at return to glory.

During the Era of Warring states the clan was highly feared as the Clan of Demonic Illusionists, as their Genjutsu caused many to become mentally shattered, comatose, or become frightfully catatonic and left at their mercy. They weren't as powerful or on the same class such as the Uchiha and Senju, but were one of the few clans that were very damn close. However, they clan had suffered over the years because of the World Wars and soon fell out of the limelight. Yakumo's skill was the clan's chance at a comeback, and Kurenai, who had learned some of their Genjutsu as payment, had taken it away from them.

To prevent the clan from taking action against her, Hiruzen informed them that he had given the order and subdued the more rowdy members. Being Hokage and the most powerful ninja in the Elemental Countries at the moment made the few that wanted retribution suddenly have a sudden change of heart. The clan was angry, but not stupid. Hiruzen was old and no longer in his prime, but he was a still a powerful force to be reckoned with despite his advanced age.

"However, as I said, I would not have promoted you if you didn't have the right skill set. Therefore I'm assigning you as an assistant Jounin instructor. Whenever one of the instructors needs help or is required to take a mission outside Konoha beyond the capabilities of his or her Genin, you will take charge," Hiruzen stated.

Truthfully Kurenai didn't know whether to be thankful or insulted by the opportunity. While she'd be allowed to teach she'd basically be a second choice and second fiddle really. Though Kurenai knew it was her fault. She failed not only one student but also barely improved her current ward of two years. Anko, a person who didn't care for teaching others, had managed to improve the former Dead Last in two months. It was an eye opener really, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, Kurenai had to agree with her friend's statement. She had been coddling and holding Hinata back from unlocking her true potential.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Kurenai bowed to her leader and then left.

The man sighed as Kurenai left. The elderly Hokage disliked moments like this. Kurenai was a relatively new Jounin compared to the others but her skill in Genjutsu was unmatched in Konoha. She was no Senju Toka or Hozuki Gengetsu in the art but given time the woman could potential rival the Senju and Nidaime Mizukage's skills in the art of illusions. Her skill in illusionary along with her performance record was one of the man reasons why she was promoted to Jounin three years ago. But, like everyone, the woman wasn't perfect. While he originally thought that Kurenai was ready to take on a team of her own, Anko had made some valid points.

The Hyuga Clan was a prestigious clan in Konoha, one of the original Four Noble Clans. With the downfall of the Senju Clan during the Second Shinobi World War, and Uchiha Clan some years ago, the Hyuga were the strongest clan in Konoha. The man couldn't afford another incident with a clan if Kurenai coddled and hampered the growth of the clan head's daughter. Hiruzen knew that Hiashi loved his eldest daughter, but Hiruzen also knew that the Hyuga were strict trainers and demanded a lot from their children, especially their heirs. It had been the same case with Hiruzen and his father, Sarutobi Sasuke.

"One can only hope Anko can help the girl," the woman had done wonders with Naruto but Hinata was a slightly different case.

"Hokage-sama, Naruto-kun is here to see you," he heard Mariko's voice over the intercom.

"Send him in," he told his secretary and watched as his surrogate grandson entered through the door. "Hello, Naruto-kun."

"Arf!"

The man laughed, "Hello to you too, Hottomaru," the man chuckled as the small pup puffed out his chest. "What can I do for you?"

"Jiji, I've done it!" Naruto declared with a grin.

"Done what, Naruto-kun?" the man smiled at the boy's exuberance.

"I've mastered basic calligraphy. So now I can learn Fuinjutsu," the boy was giddy at the prospect of learning a new skill.

"Really? Show me," as the boy took out a brush and inkwell, Hiruzen was pleasantly surprised that the boy's calligraphy had indeed gotten much, much better than what it used to be. It wasn't the greatest in the world but it was good enough that Naruto would be able to properly make basic fuinjutsu without any consequences. The man had made a promise with the boy after all, "Very well, Naruto. You can learn how to make seals."

"Yatta!" the boy cheered but calmed down when he remembered what he wanted to ask the Old Man, "Hey, Jiji do you know why one my perks says I get a bonus towards Fuinjutsu?" he asked.

The man stayed silent as he heard those words and wondered how he should approach this. When Naruto had become the jinchuriki of the Kyubi and an orphan, Hiruzen and the few he could trust took away and hid anything related to the Uzumaki Clan or edited the information in order to protect the boy and should he ever go looking for information on them. It was made easier when those who knew about them were mostly the older generation such as Hiruzen and his old friend Maruboshi Kosuke. The thought made him sad though. Few from his generation remained now, they either ended up dying of old age or in combat.

Few also knew that Kushina and Minato were married, only appearing in public together and giving off them impression that they were merely friends. Both had agreed to keep the relationship between them a secret until they became strong enough, albeit it took some convincing on Kushina's part for her to go along with it.

When the war finally ended Minato and Kushina were prepared to come out as a couple, both had become powerful, especially Minato who was to become Hokage. But when Kushina turned out to be pregnant with Naruto the plans changed once more. Being with child meant she was vulnerable and wouldn't be able to train or take missions for risk of losing the baby. Coming out as a couple, one that was expecting as well, was basically putting a target sign on them and Minato couldn't be everywhere at the same time. Despite the Hiraishin appearing absolute, Hiruzen knew that Tobirama and others had come up with ways at rendering it useless. While few knew of them or could even use them, the couple didn't wish to take the risk.

When Kushina appeared visibly pregnant and was asked who the father whose the woman would merely say it was someone precious to her who died in the war. Many often stopped afterwards and give their condolences before moving on. It nearly drove Kushina mad from having to say it so often. Her mood swings didn't make the task easy, too.

While he knew Naruto wanted to know the truth about his lineage, for so long the Hokage realized, the man couldn't afford to tell him just yet. The boy had made excellent progress, but still wasn't strong enough, "I'm afraid I don't know, Naruto," the man's lie and countless years of practice made the act very believable and convincing. Hiruzen had made a promise long ago that he would tell Naruto everything once he was promoted to Chunin. The boy had a right to know, but now wasn't the time.

"Oh," Naruto looked momentarily disappointed before shaking it off, "Ah, it's ok. But I can still learn Fuinjutsu, right?"

Hizuen mere chuckled, "Yes, Naruto-kun."

* * *

 **[QUEST COMPLETED!]**

 **Calligraphy 101!**

 **Main Quest: Learn and master the skill Basic Calligraphy! (Accomplished)**

 **Total Rewards: +500 REP with Sarutobi Hiruzen, +1100 EXP, Unlock Fuinjutsu Skill, Beginners' Fuinjutsu Recipe Scroll**

* * *

 **Congratulations! You've unlocked the skill Basic Fuinjutsu!**

Naruto grinned upon seeing the floating text-box while Hiruzen reached into his desk and took out an old scroll, "This is the very same scroll I used when I learned about the fundamentals of Fuinjutsu."

"You know Fuinjutsu, Jiji?" the boy asked, gladly taking the scroll from the man.

"I'm known as the Professor for a reason, Naruto," he smirked, "I'm not a master in the art of using it but I know enough about the theory to get by quite easily. The scroll you hold was given to me by my late master's wife, Senju Mito, she was easily the foremost expert and master on the subject. The woman was Konoha's own resident Grand Master level Fuinjutsu user. The highest rank anyone can reach in any art form. Few in Konoha have ever even come close to that level of proficiency, especially when it came to Fuinjutsu."

"How come?" Naruto asked.

"A combination of lack of interest and teachers, really," was the man's reply, "Many prefer to use the more common aspects of ninja skills such as Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, and to a lesser extent, Genjutsu and Bukijutsu. As I told you a few weeks ago, Fuinjutsu is also a very difficult art to learn and it's not for everyone. I can count the amount of experts or masters in the art on my hand."

"Yeesh," Naruto didn't know it was that bad. The boy knew that if he was to increase his skill Fuinjutsu Scrolls wasn't going to be enough. Even with his ability to absorb the knowledge at some point he'd need a master in the art, "Do you know anyone who is?"

The man thought for second before answering, "I'm an expert so I could teach you a bit. However, my busy schedule prevents me from doing so. Other than myself there's Shimura Danzo but I wouldn't recommend him."

"Anko said the same thing about him about Futon Ninjutsu," Naruto idly wondered what was wrong with the man if both Hiruzen and Anko didn't recommend him as a teacher.

"Make no mistake Danzo is one of the most, if not the most powerful Futon Ninjutsu user Konoha, and Fuinjutsu expert despite being the same age as I am. However, his teaching methods are very controversial and heavily frowned upon," Hiruzen was putting it lightly. The man's style of instructing others were inhumane even among shinobi standards. "The only other person I could think of is my old student Jiraiya, he's a master in Fuinjutsu but he's no longer in Konoha and travels around all over the place."

While the name sounded familiar to him, Naruto let the thought slid. If the man wasn't here then he wouldn't be of much help to him. "Thanks anyway, Jiji. Have fun with the paperwork!"

Hiruzen's eye merely twitched at the response, "Why you little!" but it was replaced by horror when Mariko came in with a large stack of papers. "Some last minute paperwork, Hokage-sama."

The God of Ninja felt like crying. Against paperwork there's no true victory, only temporary reprieves before it respawned in even greater numbers. " _Damn you, Minato!"_

(Meanwhile)

While Hiruzen was lamenting his current situation, Naruto and Hottomaru snuck into a solitary back alley. Naruto didn't wish for people to see what he was about to do.

" **Would you like to learn Basic Fuinjutsu Recipes?"**

 **(YES/NO)**

The boy eagerly pressed on the yes and watched as the scroll evaporated into small particles of light and knowledge he didn't know flood his mind.

 **You learned the skill Basic Storage Containment Seal!**

 **You learned how to make Low Grade Exploding Seal!**

 **You learned the skill Trap Seal: Exploding Earth Immolation!**

 **You learned the skill Trap Seal: Skyward Current!**

 **You learned the skill Sealing Technique: Four Limbs Weighting Seal!**

 **You learned the Skill Kaifu no Jutsu (Unsealing Technique)!**

Naruto grinned at the number of Fuinjutsu skills he learned. But the boy would look at them in greater detail later. Right now Naruto hurried onwards towards the training field Hayate mentioned the other day. The man was finally going to teach him a kenjutsu skill and Naruto knew it was awesome.

"Wonder what he's gonna teach me, Hotto?" the boy got a bark from his ninken in response before continuing their jog. "Better be something cool!"

As he arrived at the training, Naruto was surprised to see not only Hayate but Anko as well and wearing a vest. "Hey, what's going on?" Naruto asked the two senior ninja.

"Nothing much, gaki. Just telling the ballerina here that because of my recent promotion I'm being given more duties. And unfortunately, gaki-"

"It means you can't train me as often," Naruto finished. "Congratulations, Anko-sensei."

"Thanks and sorry, gaki. I'd like to torture you some more," both males knew the woman wouldn't bother correcting herself, she meant it, "but this vest comes with new and more responsibilities. I'll still teach ya but Hayate's more or less gonna spend more time with you."

"I get it," Naruto didn't like it, but he understood.

"But that doesn't start till tomorrow so for now I'm gonna do the most I can starting now," she cackled and cracked her knuckles.

"…Shit," a fearful Naruto gulped and watched as Hottomaru run for his life, a green serpent hot on his tail. "Can I learn the sword skill first though…please?"

Anko merely looked impassive, Naruto didn't know if it was good or not, but the woman released a sigh, "Yeah, go ahead. I'm in a good mood today. But don't expect me to be this generous next time."

The boy merely nodded and looked at his other instructor, "So what's the sword technique you gonna teach me?"

"Well it's not a sword technique but it plays a critical part of the fighting style I'm teaching you nonetheless," Hayate informed the boy.

While slightly downed the boy couldn't help ask, "What is it then?"

Rather then tell him, Hayate tossed the boy a bokken and instructed him to strike at him as fast as he could. Naruto didn't know why but obliged with the man's request. Naruto was fast for his age, very fast, and while Anko and Hayate were impressed it was still slow compared to them. When Naruto was upon his sword instructor, the boy slashed the bokken through Hayate only for the man to faze out like a mist.

" _Bunshin? No, it had a shadow. A Bunshin doesn't leave one,_ " the boy noted and felt a kunai at his throat.

"That kid, was the **Zanzo no Jutsu** (Afterimage Technique)! The newest technique you'll be learning" Hayate then smirked, "However, training can wait. Anko said she wanted have some fun with you after all."

"Eep," Naruto paled and started sweating when he saw the look on Anko's face. " _These guys are both sadists!"_

While he was happy to finally train with Anko again, and learning a new useful technique, Naruto sorely missed the lack of torture he got from the woman. She had been gone for quite a while and was now making up for lost time.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Rank: Academy Student**

 **Level: 13 Next Level: 2482/11000**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 2750**

 **CP: 4325**

 **STR: 60**

 **VIT: 91**

 **DEX: 99 (+5) = 104**

 **INT: 131**

 **WIS: 50.5**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 55**

 **Perk:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, ?

 **Special Perk**

 **Gamer:** Allows you to live your life like a video game. You still don't know much about it though, but who cares life is good.

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP and Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards Reputation, ?

 **Titles:**

 **Beginner Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu Swordsman:** +10% EXP and Effectiveness towards Kenjutsu, Stealth **,** Feints and Movement Speed,+2 DEX, +1 STR per Lv

 **Veteran Zombie Slayer:** 60% increase attack and defense against Undead, +20 towards stats when facing Undead, +25% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards reputation gain, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Description:** Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently an academy student with inspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. At the moment, Naruto is considered by many as a shoe in for the title of **Dead Last.**

 **Money** : 527,060 Ryo ~ (52,706$)

 **Attribute Points: 13**

* * *

 **Sorry, would have updated earlier but the flow wasn't good enough. To start off, I not a Part 1 Sakura fan. I don't hate Sakura though, I'm indifferent. I don't bash characters, poke fun yes but no bashing. In the first half of Naruto Sakura was weak and only had her smarts going for her. She got better after the Wave Arc, and even more so after the CHunin exam where she got a wake up call but at the moment Sakura is one of the weaker characters.**

 **Now the Sasuke fight. If Sasuke had his Sharingan most likely the fight could go in his favour. Were they allowed to use anything else it could have gone either way. But Naruto had better speed, strength and cunning in Taijutsu so he ended up the winner.**

 **As for Kurenai, well Kishimoto didn't much of a job promoting her character compared to the other Jounin or characters. So i'm doing a bit of my own version mixed in with the anime and canon. The woman will still have a role in this story, but it will be a minor one. I don't really have much use for her at the moment, but it will later on.**

 **Anyway, over 11000 words in this one. Next chapter will future a timeskip and a new dungeon. And then after that. Canon starts ladies and gentlemen. Hope you like it. Review tons like last time and I will update next friday.**

 **On another topic I;m wondering if I should try my hand at a Harry Potter/Gamer fic in the future. What do you guys think? Post in the reviews and in the poll in my profile.**

 **Lastly, pairings. It is a multiple relationship thing. I don't like using the word harem. Hinata is in it, along with three others. Two are rarely used, and one is decently common.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: For Every Action There's a Reaction Part 1**

 **"** Ok, kid, that's a wrap," Hayate informed his student. A sheet of perspiration was visible on the swordsman's pale face thanks to the light of the moon that illuminated the night from above. "Get some rest and meet us here on Sunday in the afternoon," he informed and flickered out of the training field. Hopefully by then he and Yugao would have the blond's problem solved. Both had minor duties to perform tomorrow so it would have wait until then.

During the dark twilight hours of the day many shinobi looked upon Naruto and Hottomaru with pity. For the last two months or so both males looked ragged and worn down every time Konoha shinobi saw the two. And justifiably so as well, "Barely… enough strength… to even … get home," Naruto huffed, his breath clearly visible in the air because it was now the month of December. As he limped onwards to his apartment, his equally bushed ninken followed after him.

"… A… Arf!" Hottomaru concurred with his partner. His paws and body aching like mad and felt ready to give out at any second. The little ninken wore his armor and his coat now fluffier because of the colder weather. Naruto himself wore his training armor combined with a winter cloak. The boy made a mental note to replace the basic gear he had with a better one in the near future as he passed by a shinobi gear shop near his apartment.

Fortunately the building where the blond and tiger stripped ninken lived was merely around the corner. But to the males it felt as though it was a country away. The journey up the stairs proved to be just as brutal as well. In their minds it was as if they were climbing up a mountain with pure muscle strength alone rather than relying on their chakra.

As they finally arrived at their destination, both groaned as they entered the room and plopped down onto the comfortable bed. The boy's entire body ached and was racked with pain from today's training session. Today had been pretty intense, much like the previous ones he had gone through, and with good reason as well. Graduation was this coming Monday, a mere two days away. Naruto barely had time or the energy to enter dungeons thanks to the new training schedule. He still went in but not as often as he would have liked to. Both Hayate and Yugao, and Anko when she had the time, were pushing him to his limits at the moment in order to prepare him for what was to come.

But Naruto was worried. Even after spending most of his Attribute Points on WIS and mastering the basic **Water Surface Walking Practice** he still wasn't able to use or learn the **Bunshin no Jutsu**. While he had informed Hayate and Yugao about his dilemma, both had wished that Naruto had come to them sooner with this problem. At the moment time was running short, very short for the boy. While both felt that the Bunshin was useless, tricking only the highly stupid and dimwitted, the fact that it was mandatory in order to pass the academy was ridiculous in their minds.

After graduation came missions and the Bunshin was rendered virtually useless. Both because Genin could only take D-Rank and the occasional C-Rank mission and the skill would be of no use helping them. It still worked against common bandits but the more organized and experienced ones were better informed on shinobi and weren't quite as gullible or fooled at all.

"Hopefully … I can pull … something off… Hotto," Naruto continued to huff but only heard the sounds of light snoring from his partner. The boy chuckled at that, "Yeah… sleep sounds…" the boy couldn't finish as his exhaustion finally took hold and the boy promptly fell asleep. Activating the traps he set up before he fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

 **(Elsewhere)**

"Finally," Hiruzen sighed as he finished the last of today's paperwork. With this year's block of academy students graduating but a mere couple of days away the amount had been increasing. The man took the opportunity to look over Konoha. The rooftops were covered in decent coat of glittering white. While the country of Hi no Kuni didn't get as much snow compared to Kumo, Mizu, or some of the other lesser countries, they still had the occasional winter where they received a decent blanket of snow.

Hiruzen treasured rare moments such as these. The man recalled his first snowfall in Konoha as a young boy. A moment that he shared with his teammates and teachers. The group had been training almost all day when the weather had gradually shifted from cool to cold followed by the falling of snowflakes from above. The group had later spent the rest of the day merely playing and enjoying the change in scenery. The man chuckled as he recalled how both Tobirama and Hashirama managed to take a friendly snowball fight and somehow transformed it into an epic battle. The man remembered how the two most powerful men in Konoha received a scolding from Mito and cowered before the intimidating woman as though they were mere children. Hiruzen only regretted not having a camera to picture the event.

" _To relive such a moment such as that one last time,_ " even if it was only once the God of Shinobi wished to spend one last moment with his departed teachers and loved ones. But the man shook such thoughts from his mind. It wouldn't do well to dwell on the past and cloud one's thoughts with such things. While it was good to dream, sometimes they could become a burden and hamper a person.

"Ah, well," the man began tidying up a bit before he headed on home.

"Hokage-sama," Mariko's voice rang from the intercom and Hiruzen held back a curse at the rotten timing.

Reluctantly, Hiruzen answered his secretary, "Yes, Mariko-chan?" the man silently praying it wouldn't take too long.

"Uzuki Yugao and Gekko Hayate are here to see you, sir," the mention of Naruto's sword instructors wanting to see him peeked the man's interest.

"Send them in and then you can go home, Mariko-chan," the man instructed.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Mariko replied before the machine went cold.

Both swordsman and swordswoman entered Hiruzen's office as the man sat back into his chair. "Yugao, Hayate, what can I do for you?" the man had an inkling and hunch that this was going to be about Naruto but it didn't hurt to ask.

"Sorry to keep you, Hokage-sama," both bowed at their village leader, "But it's a little urgent."

At the word 'urgent' the elderly but powerful man's composure shifted from relaxed to rigid and worried, "Has something happened? Is Naruto alright?"

Seeing the look of worry and hearing it in his voice, Hayate reassured his leader, "Naruto's fine, Hokage-sama. *Cough* The kid's coming along quite well actually. Damn kid's a sponge ... When it comes to the physical portion at least," he added and Yugao released a chuckle while Hiruzen released a sigh of relief. "It's actually about his … special condition and what it impedes him to do."

"Ah," the man now understood perfectly. "You're referring to Naruto's large amount of chakra."

" _That's putting it lightly,_ " Yugao thought. The Anbu member was a talented sensor and could tell that Naruto easily had the largest pool of chakra out of all the Genin in the academy. Hell, the woman knew that the boy had even more chakra reserves than most Jounin as well. Certainly not as strong such as Kakashi's average but dense reserves or immense and powerful like the Hokage's but the blond jinchuriki had tons of chakra to spare nonetheless.

"The amount of chakra that kid has is allowing him to do things most Chunin can't do, let alone what an academy student or Genin can do," Hiruzen mentally snorted. Neither shinobi before him had any idea of what the boy was truly capable of. "But it's also taking away his ability to make a proper clone. The kid's mastered the Water Surface Walking Practice but it still isn't enough. Graduation is but a few days away and without it-"

"Naruto will fail despite everything he has accomplished," Hiruzen frowned. The man couldn't exactly exempt Naruto for such a thing, it wouldn't be fair to the other students who couldn't do it either. The man had gotten a ton of complaints from others for giving the boy a private tutor and while he had paid for it out of his own pocket it still didn't placate the others. Short of Naruto having a physical impairment, such as Rock Lee who was exempted from the ninjutsu portion of the exam, or it being wartime where it could sometimes be overlooked, there was little he could do without the council stepping in.

Hiruzen was the Hokage and had absolute power in Konoha. His words were law. But it wasn't as easy as it sounded. Tobirama had placed laws that had long ago been put in place to prevent a Hokage from abusing their authority over the village. An example was a Hokage candidate needing the support and backing of the Village Council, Head Jounin, Anbu Commander and Fire Daimyo Council should a former Hokage die before appointing a successor. Another was using his authority to give someone such as family or family friends an advantage over others. While it wasn't the intent it could easily be seen as such by others. Hiruzen recalled certain Daimyos and village leaders from the minor countries giving family and friends benefits such as more authority or leeway in certain matters. In some cases it led to a civil war or almost escalade into being one. Hiruzen seriously doubted it would go that far but knew that many who were clouded by hate would do almost anything.

"Unfortunately, there is little I can do at the moment. While many weren't thrilled about Naruto being given a tutor the boy was still Dead Last and many more saw my actions as simply helping a struggling student. Anko's contract ended and is now teaching the boy because she, along with yourselves, wants to teach him so I can't be blamed for that. But now that Naruto has improved to a decent level any more help I give him will simply be seen as me abusing my authority."

Yugao frowned at the man's words. Despite being a ninja the woman had a particular dislike of politics and the endless web of deceit therein. Many had often said that the pen was mightier than the sword, and it was true. With a single signature a country decree, law or regulation could impede one, make others suffer for little to no reason, or start a rebellion. "So if Naruto can't be exempt from the Bunshin portion of the exam what can we do?"

Hiruzen sighed. The woman had just asked the million ryo question.

* * *

 **(Next Day; 9:17 AM)**

"Ugh," Naruto groaned as he stretched in his bed. "Man, gotta love that Gamer's Body ability," waking up all refreshed with all of his HP and CP restored was the best. Anko often complained in private as it took normal individuals a hell of a lot more time to regain their strength and chakra instead of a single night's sleep.

"Oh, well. Sucks to be them. Eh, Hotto," Naruto grinned at his waking ninken.

"Arf!" Hottomaru barked and agreed with the boy.

As they went about their morning ritual Naruto contemplated on what they were going to do today. "Ok, going to the Training Area Dungeons is out," he was barely getting anything good from them at the moment thanks to his high level. He couldn't enter the higher dungeons either seeing as how he needed to be a Genin to enter them. Naruto hoped the enemies and loot he'd get from them would make it up for it.

"Speaking of which," Naruto made his way towards his laptop. The last dungeon he had entered was filled with centipedes. While the drops they gave were mostly poison based like the rats Naruto collected them anyways if only to sell them. At first they were nothing he couldn't handle despite their large number. Then came along the giant variants. While the dungeon still remained relatively easy these centipedes posed a greater challenge as they had a hard shell and spat corrosive acid. The shell was very resilient to bladed weaponry and only their soft underbelly wasn't immune.

But the centipedes were very quick to burrow and perform hit and run tactics in greater number. So Naruto ended up having to use his staff for most of the dungeon to crush their heads in. Unfortunately, the staff's life came to an end during the boss battle with a freaking **Omukade** , the Human Centipede Demon. The last blow Naruto managed to get on the creature not only ended the boss's life but that of the staff's as well and it was sadly beyond repair.

"Damn shame," the staff had been given to him by the Old Man and was his first real weapon. Asking to replace it with another clan staff felt wrong to him. The boy would find a new blunt weapon in the future. "And all I got for it was something I couldn't use called **Futton:** **Naigekido no Jutsu** (Boil Release: Deadly Upheaval Technique)."

As the scroll required one to have the ability to use Boil Release neither he nor Anko could use the technique. In the end, Naruto ended putting the scroll along with majority of the poison he got up for auction a few days ago. "Alright, any bites?"

 **Your item Futton: Naigekido no Jutsu has been bought by Sexy Water Goddess.**

"Kinda unoriginal for a screen name but money is money," Naruto smirked as he saw the numbers. Because it had been one of the few bloodline limit techniques recorded on a scroll, despite it not being one of the most powerful, Naruto had been advised to sell it for 350,000 ryo. In the end he made a profit of 297,500 when the Auction House took their cut.

 **"** Still no bites for the poison," there were views he could see but no one was interested in buying any at the moment. "Eh," he shrugged. It was only a few days since he put it on the site and Naruto had managed to sell the most valuable item anyway.

"Let's see then. **Instant Dungeon List!** " Naruto watched a screen of all the available dungeons appear before him.

 **Zombie World Dungeon**

 **Ghost World Dungeon**

 **Primordial World Dungeon - Level Can be Set**

Naruto shivered as he thought about the Ghost World Dungeon. The boy had always been afraid of ghost and regretted entering the dungeon. Not only were they immune to physical attacks, meaning taijutsu and bukijutsu was useless against them, the only thing that did hurt them was ninjutsu and genjutsu for some reason.

While this wouldn't have been a problem the ghosts had an ability that quickly drained him of his CP and HP. It was only made worst as his **Detect Skill** didn't work on them so they would pop up at random and latch on to him. In the end, Naruto left that dungeon alone and merely focused on the zombie filled one.

"Primordial World Dungeon, huh? What the hell, I ain't got anything to lose," Naruto decided to give it a shot.

"BRAT QUIT TALKING TO YOURSELF IN THERE!" Naruto's landlord yelled.

"Cranky old fart," the boy muttered.

"I HEARD THAT!"

"Oh for the love of-" Naruto stopped and began packing the things he'd need. From his frequent visits to the Zombie Dungeon he had gotten a great deal of lesser grade potions, and two medium grade ones thanks to his **Grand Master Zombie Slayer** title. This meant worrying about HP restoring items was no longer an issue.

" _Oh, that reminds me I need to learn some new recipes for my cooking skill_. _Not really getting a lot of EXP with the current ones,_ " Naruto loved the food he was now able to make with his **Intermediate Cooking Skill**. Not only did they taste better but they also restored more HP and CP and gave him a temporary perk. However, the recipes were now giving him little EXP at the moment and Naruto was forced to find some of his own.

"Ah, I'll worry about that later," he muttered lowly before adjusting the dungeon level a bit. " _Ok, five to seven levels higher should be enough at the moment_ ," he thought before using his **Instant Dungeon Creation Skill**. " _Hopefully this place is better than the Ghost Dungeon."_

* * *

 **(Sometime Later)**

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs.

The boy was running away from the predators behind him that were hot on his heels. All he knew about the creatures was they were called **Raptors.** They were slightly taller than himself but also vicious, fast, stealthy and had a powerful sense of smell. Worst of all, they were highly intelligent, too, compared to the other dungeons inhabitants he faced. Naruto was fast but these things had had five levels on him, the alpha had seven, and their powerful legs enabled them to run at frightening speeds.

"GSHAAAAA!" the leader of the pack hissed/screeched at him. Its fangs were bloody from a recent kill they were eating when Naruto accidentally stumbled on them. However, it seemed their meal wasn't overly satisfying as they wanted seconds.

"NICE RAPTOR! GOOD RAPTOR!" Naruto was only met with more hissing and was forced to dive when the alpha pounced on him. Right where he wanted it.

"SUCKER!" Naruto grinned as his **Trap Seal: Skyward Current** activated and sent the alpha flying upwards a good twenty five feet into the air. The blond took the chance to jump after the helpless creature and used his **Ninpo: Goriki** to increase his strength.

" **Sotsui Otoshi** (Double Hammer Drop)!" Naruto delivered a vicious two-handed hammer strike on the creature's back with his fists.

The incredible force along with his increased STR from his technique sent the creature crashing back down to the primordial earth. The boy quickly followed up with his newest technique **Futon:** **Daireppusho** (Wind Release: Great Gale Palm) to quickly send himself back towards his foe. The futon technique was basically an enhanced version of the regular **Reppusho no Jutsu** , but the torrent of much more powerful winds that sent him downwards was doing its job and he was soon on the creature.

" **Banrai** (Heavy Thunder)!" the boy's punch struck the creature on the head. The creature's eyes nearly bulging out comically as it was sent face first back onto the ground.

While he was dealing with the alpha, Hottomaru was taking care of the underlings in his transformed older form. The large canine could now last longer in this form thanks to more practice and larger chakra reserves. His ability to drain chakra from others thank to his **Ravenous Sin** technique made it even more convenient to recover lost chakra.

"BARRKKK!" Hottomaru roared as he swiped at the nearest raptor. The beast's newfound strength sent the creature crashing into a tree with a resounding thud. Hottomaru then moved on to the other raptors and performed a **Daitsuga** (Great Over Fang) on them. While not as powerful as the **Gatsuga** the enhanced singular version of the **Tsuga** had more power and spin in it to hurt the two ancient predators. While one managed to recover, the other went down and Hottomaru took the opportunity to clamp down on its neck.

With the dog's enlarged canines and flaming maw the raptor screeched in pain and fright as it tried to escape from the jaws of literal death. Its struggles ultimately proved futile as Hottomaru's greater size and strength prevented all means of escape. Adding more pressure and force to his bite, Hottomaru performed a sudden jerk with his head and the creature in his mouth knew no more.

Hottomaru then snarled at the other raptors in front of him that were hoping to avenge their fallen pack member. With their attention so firmly placed on the one that took away their comrade, neither had time to react when they suddenly found themselves set ablaze by the fireballs that struck their exposed backs. While the two creatures panicked over their burning bodies, Hottomaru moved in for the kill and promptly finished both of them off.

"Nice job, Hotto," Naruto smiled at now diminutive partner. It wasn't exactly how he wanted the plan to go down but it worked out well in the end. "Ok, let's see what we got here."

So far the common drops Naruto and Hottomaru were getting from the creatures of this world, called dinosaurs, were mostly **Fertile** **Dung, Very Fertile Dung, Very Thick Hides,** and **Dinosaur Meat.** The last one apparently was supposed to be very high in protein and nutrition.

"Think we'll find a treasure chest here, Hotto," Naruto asked his partner, only to see the dog munching on a piece of dino meat. "Hey! Spit that out!" Naruto ordered the dog. While he could eat it raw Naruto didn't want Hottomaru getting any parasites or sick from eating uncooked meat. "Kinda think of it. Do meat drops even have parasites in them?" he wondered if his Gamer ability eliminated such harmful things.

"Grrr," Hottomaru growled. Originally Naruto thought the ninken was angry at him for taken away his food but as he felt the earth shake the boy readied himself. Unlike the other dungeons that only had a certain species such as rats and greater variants, this dungeon had a multitude of different dinosaur species instead of just carnivorous ones.

"Great, the three horned one," Naruto frowned.

* * *

 **Alpha Triceratops - Lv 25**

 **HP: 3500/3500**

 **CP: 400/400**

 **STR: 145**

 **VIT: 100**

 **DEX: 100**

 **INT: 16**

 **WIS: 5**

 **LUK: 29**

 **Defense: 135**

 **Perks:**

 **Hard-Headed** : +50% concussive resistance, +50% head-shot resistance, +50% head damage techniques.

 **Tenacious:** Ignores negative status effects when health drops below 30%, Movement Speed increases by 70% when below 30% health

 **Territorial:** +50% effectiveness to Detection Skill, Will attack any who enters its territory and is seen as a threat

 **Thick-Hide:** +50% weapon, taijutsu resistance, +35% abnormal status effects resistance, +50 Defense, +1000 HP

 **Description:** Despite its size and being a plant eater, this large creature is fiercely territorial and aggressive if felt threatened. When this happens, their natural instinct is to charge their opponent, thereby making best use of their horns to gore and skewer the opposition. It has three horns in its head that are used to ward off potential predators and have been known to kill even super predators, and its neck is protected by a bony crest that allows it to feel little to no pain when smashing into something. They are typically found in small herds of up to eight creatures but it is not uncommon to find one by itself, usually a scout. A typical specimen is thirty feet long and on average weighs 20,000 pounds, this alpha however is much bigger and heavier.

 **EXP Earned: 495**

 **Drops: Dinosaur Meat, Fertile Dung, Very Fertile Dung, Dense Horn, Very Thick Hide**

* * *

"I hate these guys," neither Naruto or Hottomaru had a pleasant experience with these creatures. Triceratops gave good drops but if Naruto or Hottomaru didn't kill em fast enough they'd summon an Alpha Triceratops such as this one, which was worst. Once an alpha was summoned it would not go away until either one of them were defeated and vice versa. Groaning as he saw the creature prepared to charge them Naruto knew that if he didn't deal with the creature it would simple try to find him again.

"God damn it," Naruto cursed his luck. The boy really wished he had his staff to break those horns it sported. Charging head on was a very bad idea as it was capable of rotating its head very quickly despite its size and give him a quick stab in the gut. The boy had tried this out with his **Afterimage Technique.**

 **"** Ninjutsu it is," Naruto spoke before jumping upwards onto a nearby tree. It would stay upright for long though as their strength and speed allowed them to topple trees over as though they as fragile as flowers.

" **Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique)!" Naruto shouted as he unleashed a series of fireballs upon the charging creature. Unlike Hidama which flew only in a linear line the **Hosenka** fireballs curved and could be manipulated towards their target to some degree. All four fireballs struck the beast's thick hide but the creature didn't seem all that bothered by it and continued its charge.

"BRAGGGHHHHH!" the creature bellowed as it made contact with the trunk and uprooted the tree with a single blow.

"Damn!" the boy took this time to jump behind the beast. Throwing a myriad of kunai laced with his own exploding tags at its back legs, Naruto held up a hand seal and watched the explosion that ensued. The mighty reptile roared in pain as its back legs flared with large amounts of agony, temporally immobilizing the ancient creature.

"BARKKK!" was the sound of Naruto's ninken as it jumped upon the creature and began raking and biting its back. Hottomaru knew well enough not to go near the head, even with the creature weakened. The neck, legs and belly were its weak spots but getting to them was both tricky and dangerous. The beast's weight and girth was enormous and too much for Naruto, even with his strength enhancing technique.

"Not enough time to set up another trap seal," Naruto really wished he had time. The **Skyward Current** technique was a seal that store a large amount of air inside it, compressed it and sent any other than the user flying upwards. However, Naruto discovered that the technique was useless against something as heavy as this creature.

The other trap seal however **Exploding Earth Immolation** basically stored fire chakra, exploded and set any within a five foot radius on fire. Naruto didn't really use it as much as the other one. While it certainly had a hell of a lot more power behind it, a trade off was that it required a lot more time to prepare as well. Plus with Hotto on its back he'd risk hurting his partner.

His Kenjutsu was out at the moment as well. Skilled as he was Naruto hadn't had time to procure himself of a decent sword to make it more effective, mainly using **Chichizouge** and his bokken. Most of the swords he wanted at Tetsu's were expensive and Naruto was still saving up for his house.

Which left only option, "Ah, damn it," he cursed and prepared his **Rasen Hoen no Jutsu** (Spiralling Phoenix Flame Technique). While the technique was much stronger and faster than what it used to be, Naruto hated having to rely on a particular technique to get himself out of trouble all the time. Oh, he loved the technique and all but Anko had pounded into his head that a shinobi that relied too much on a technique, skill or bloodline would eventually face a foe that knew how to counter it and be left at their mercy. So far Naruto had been forced to use it on the last four Triceratops to take them down. With the alpha before him it would soon to be five.

"Hotto!" Naruto signalled his partner to jump off and unleashed a blazing hell upon the large reptile. The alpha had no time to react when the technique pierced its hide and come out the other side. Much like the **Legion Zombie** that was pierced by the technique the dinosaur had a look of pure agony plastered on its face… right before it lit up and melted into a puddle of primordial goo.

 **Your Rasen Hoen no Jutsu skill has levelled up by 1!**

Sighing, Naruto picked up the loot and told Hotto to follow him. Both now needed a break from all the fighting they'd been doing. The seventeen level gamer had already spent less than half of his CP thanks to using his most powerful technique so often. Spotting a cave and using his **Detect Skill** , along with Hotto's nose, Naruto was happy to see a lack of creatures inside it.

Entering the cave, Naruto and Hottomaru enjoyed each others company as they munched on some food. Both human and ninken had come a very long way in four months. Naruto was no longer Dead Last anymore, thank kami, and in two short days the boy was set to graduate. "Assuming Hayate and Yugao come through," Naruto prayed that they did.

Naruto had no intention of staying in the academy for one more year after all he accomplished. The boy had enough of the academy thank you very much and wanted more experience. The dungeons were good and all but Naruto knew there were dungeons hidden around the world in other places that offered a better challenge. The blond also wanted to experience his first mission outside of Konoha and see what else was beyond the walls of the great hidden village.

Naruto had always been an adventurist and had often wanted what the world had to offer. It was easier said than done however. Outside the walls with the little amount of training he had, Naruto knew his younger, ignorant self wouldn't last very long. There were stronger, more powerful and twisted individuals outside Konoha who would easily take advantage of him. Under the tutelage of three gifted teachers he had become stronger, smarter, and better prepared. But it still wasn't enough. Naruto needed to be stronger, and needed much more experience before he could undertake such a thing.

"What do you think, Hotto," the ninken looked at him, "wanna see the world and travel a bit in the future?"

"Arf!" the ninken was down with that.

"Good boy," the blond grinned at the young pup. When a solid twenty minutes passed and a decent amount of HP and CP recovered, Naruto decided it was high time that they get back to it. "Alright, Hotto, lets…Hotto? Hey, where'd you go, buddy?"

"Arf! Arf!" Naruto turned around and spotted the ninken deeper in the cave, scratching at something on the wall. "What is it, bud?" he asked and spotted a slight glimmer coming from the rock face. Going back outside, Naruto quickly returned with a branch and set the piece of wood on fire with a **Hidama.** The glimmer became even greater and Naruto spotted a series of veins in the cavern.

"Ore?" he guessed and used his **Observe** to see if he was right.

* * *

 **Elementium Ore (Epic Quality)**

 **Description: Elementium is one of the rarest forms of natural chakra metal known in existence and is the most superconductive of them. Elementium is commonly used to make weapons as it allows one to flow their chakra with no difficulties compared to regular chakra metal. Why this is has yet to be fully understood but it has been noted that any weapon made from this metal can potentially become one of the deadliest of weapons. Especially when amplifying one's nature affinity. However, despite its incredible rarity and usefulness, being lightweight and incredibly durable when tempered, removing impurities and tempering the metal into a desired form is extremely difficult. Few master weaponsmiths in existence are capable of accomplishing such a task as so few are taught or knowledge on how to accomplish this has been kept a secret or lost during the Era of Warring States.**

* * *

As he processed the information, Naruto's mind temporarily shut down as he realized what he had just found thanks to a stroke of luck. When his brain rebooted the boy couldn't hold in his joy and literally began bouncing off the walls like mad.

"FUCK YEAH!" Naruto couldn't believe his luck at the incredible find. "New awesome weapon you will soon be mine!" he grinned. The excited blond didn't care that it might be a while before he found someone who could properly forge the rare metal ore into a weapon of his choice. The fact that he found something so valuable, and most likely worth a millions if regular chakra ore was anything to go by, was more than enough for him. Naruto hoped that Tetsu was skilled enough to do so, which would be even more awesome, but Naruto wasn't about to get his hopes up. However, Naruto realized one crucial thing.

"How I'm I gonna get it out?" he wondered. "…Shit on a stick."

Naruto was determined to get as much as the ore as he could and had no intention of leaving without it. Video games often had a random spawning time for such valuable treasure like this. Such treasures and items were similar to Rare Spawns. They offered unique valuables but one didn't know when they'd reappear or where.

Opening up his Inventory Box, Naruto rummaged through the items he had. " **Zombie Bone** , nope too brittle. **Corrosive Centipede Acid** , maybe. **Broken Training Staff** , nope. My old **Lead Pipe** , that could work if I had something at the end. What a minute… **Dense Horn**. Hmm," the boy took on an inquisitive pose as he took out the two items. After a few minutes of tinkering with the items along with some common ones, Naruto was finished.

* * *

You've created the item: **Makeshift Pickaxe**!

 **Makeshift Pickaxe– Poor Quality**

 **Piercing Weapon**

 **Durability 13/20**

 **Description: A pickaxe made from a discarded lead pipe and a very dense animal horn. Not the greatest item to use to excavate ore or minerals from cavern walls but it will get the job down nonetheless.**

 **Attack Power: 8-11**

 **A special skill has been created through a special act.**

 **By combining and tinkering two objects into creating something else you've gained the passive/active skill "Crafting"!**

* * *

 **Crafting.** Lv1. Next Lv 0/75. A skill that allows the user to make something from other objects. Humanity has advanced their civilization through inventing things. Crafted objects become better as mastery levels rises. While creating makeshift items will have a low chance of working finding **schematics** / **blueprints** on items will offer a greater success rate when attempting to make them. Success on an item's creation is also depending on the user's WIS level, and sometimes DEX as it affects how deft your hand skills are when making more delicate creations.

* Chance to fail when crafting 50%

* Crafting speed increased by 5%

* * *

"Ok, been a while since that happened," he'd admit that it was a rather useful skill to have. Naruto made a note to keep an eye out for useful blueprints in the future. Pushing that thought aside for now, Naruto activated his **Ninpo: Goriki** and felt a surge of strength course through him as he began striking at the cavern wall.

* * *

 **(Elsewhere)**

"The plan's not going to work, Mizuki," the shadowed figure shook their head at the arrogant man's idiocy. How he was promoted to Chunin and why their master had him be a part of his plans was beyond the informant.

"It will work," Mizuki scowled at the informant. Mizuki knew little about him or her as the informant was very secretive. Mizuki didn't even know if the informant was male or female, just that he or she would appear randomly for an update or to inform him on what needed to be done. "The demon won't graduate. He's skills may have gotten better-"

" _Has_ gotten better!" the informant corrected the man, authority washing over the traitorous Konoha ninja like a strong gale in a valley. Unlike the Chunin before him the informant didn't let their emotions cloud their judgement.

"Blame the snake bitch and her friends for that," the man snarled at the thought of Anko. Nowhere in a millions years did he think the cold hearted or uncaring woman would take a liking to the demon and start training it. "Hell, blame the fucking Hokage, too."

The cloaked figure had to concede, slightly, to Mizuki's point. Anko was as much of an outcast as much as Naruto. Not nearly as bad but guessed it was enough to sympathize with the boy despite how distant she usually was. Having Mizuki interfere in the training would arise suspicion and the man was no fool to mess with the Hokage's orders or Anko herself.

"At any rate, your job was to weaken and impede the growth of the academy graduates as much as you could without getting caught. You've done a decent job so far with the others but now he's in the middle ranking of the new graduation batch and the Hokage suspects a traitor within the academy."

"My cover's blown!?" a look of horror appeared on the man's face.

"I said _suspect_ you idiot! The Hokage doesn't know who yet but it's only a matter of time before we're found out. Orochimaru-sama is not pleased, Mizuki," the Konoha traitor paled and for a brief second he felt his heart stopped as he heard those words.

The informant knew about it. Years ago Mizuki had met the rogue ninja Orochimaru on a mission. More accurately, Orochimaru had witnessed Mizuki killing his teammates from impeding a mission's success and for suspecting Mizuki of underhand deals with Konoha enemies. Rather than kill him Orochimaru made the man an offer to work for him instead and become his eyes and ears at the academy along with a few other things. Mizuki had grown distant from the village and sought to make himself powerful. Orochimaru had promised the man incredible power few possessed and Mizuki wholeheartedly agreed. Not that he was in any position anyway to refute the powerful ninja. The informant didn't doubt that Mizuki wouldn't be standing in front of them had the man said no. Orochimaru didn't like leaving any loose ends.

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Mizuki asked, "The plan can still go off without a hitch. The demon still can't make a proper Bunshin and without that his chances of becoming a ninja sinks," Mizuki smirked.

"And what are your plans on the off chance he does pass?" the informant asked him.

Mizuki frowned, "Then I'll get some other scapegoat," as much as he liked it to be the demon Mizuki knew he'd be forced to improvise should it occur. "Not everyone passes and you have no idea what some fuckups are willing to do to become ninja. I'll even frame the demon and make Konoha focus their attention on him while I make a break for it. Just make sure you take care of the ANBU," Mizuki suddenly felt a cold tight grip around his throat.

"Don't assume you can order me around you pathetic excuse of a ninja!" the informant snarled at the man and tightened their grip on his throat, "I give the orders around here. Not you! Do so again and you'll breath your last," and with that the individual harshly tossed the man to the ground with a resounding thud. The strength and force behind the throw as his body crashed on the hard soil wracked his body with pain. The informant released a cruel laugh as they saw Mizuki gasped for air as he tried to right himself.

"Do not fail us, Mizuki. You wouldn't like to see what Orochimaru-sama does to traitors or those who fail him. The man is truly an artist at prolonging the suffering of others, and that's if they're lucky," the giddiness in the informant's voice gave the man the distinct impression they wanted to see him fail just so it they could witness him suffer.

"I… won't fail," the traitor's voice was hoarse to the person's actions. "I'll get it done."

"See that you do," they said and tossed him a vial. "Drink that vial should you find yourself in bind, and only when you find yourself in a bind. I still have some things to do before we leave."

"What is it? Poison?" most ninja committed suicide to being captured and interrogated.

"No. Think of it as a form of liquid courage," was all he or she said. The man blinked and the informant was no longer before him. Mizuki could not hold back a scowl from etching itself onto his visage as it finally set in that his plans were falling apart. It had been so simple when he planned it all. The demon fails, he shows some sympathy and earns his trust, gives the demon a chance to become a ninja by stealing the Scroll of Seals, afterwards he was to try and learn a technique to occupy him long enough for Mizuki to sneak up on him, end his life, get rid of the body and then be on his merry way. All of that had been shot to hell and now he needed to improvise before the graduation exam began in case the demon passed.

Deciding to deal with it later, Mizuki swiftly pocketed the vial and left to go about his daily life. The man had a few loose ends of his own he needed to take care of as well, "Might as well get a few fucks out of Tsubaki before I leave," the man smirked at the thought of his beloved fiancé. Tsubaki was the only other person who knew about his affiliation with Orochimaru. Not everything but enough to have him locked up in the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility for the remainder of his life. But her love for him and her own dislike of the demon stopped her from reporting him to the village.

The only upside of the demon getting stronger was that it allowed Mizuki to convince the woman that it was manipulating the Hokage to return to its former self. Showing her the result of his scores and embellishing a few things about the tourney only added fuel to the fire. As it was the woman was more or less firmly on his side.

"Maybe I can convince her to come with me," he mused as despite his lust for power and hate for the demon outweighing his love for Tsubaki, Mizuki still had a lingering soft spot for the woman. If nothing else he'd find some way to use her as a scapegoat for everything that was about to happen should it go sideways. If everything went well instead he'd get more power and have a beautiful lover by his side.

* * *

 **(With Naruto)**

"Ha, huh," Naruto huffed as he pocketed the latest piece chunk of the **Elementium**. The entire process of mining the ore had taken him close to an hour. Even with his strength increased by his technique the rock face and the ore were incredibly durable compared to the other dungeons. Trying to pierce through it had not been an easy task to say the least and Naruto was forced to make another **Makeshift Pickaxe** with what little possible items he had when the first one finally broke.

"That's all we can get, Hotto," Naruto told his partner. Naruto had managed to gather eight decent sized lumps of the ore before his latest tool finally broke. "Hmm," looking at the wall, Naruto decided his idea was worth a shot. Cocking his fist back, Naruto struck out at the rock face with all his might in the hopes of getting some more of the precious metal.

… And then the pain set in.

"YEAAOOOOWWWW!" Naruto yowled as he nursed his hand. The appendage already began to swell and turn purple because of the idiotic attempt. The boy glared as he saw Hottomaru rolling on the floor, laughing at his expense and pain.

"Ungrateful mutt," he winced as his hand flared up. "Man, that was dumb," he commented.

 **Your lack of tact resulted in giving yourself the status effect Fractured Limb, a loss of 500 HP, minus 1 WIS. Seek out medical attention to heal faster or wait forty eight hours for it to fully heal.**

"Fuck," Naruto cursed as he read the status effect. **Fractured Limb** basically reduced all physical aspects such as Taijutsu, Bukijutsu, DEX, and STR by 30% until he recovered. The boy was mentally kicking himself as he realized he needed to seek medical attention. Browsing his **Inventory Box,** Naruto cursed even more when he realized he didn't have any healing items that could take care of it.

"Looks like we're cutting it short, Hotto," a disappointed and angry Naruto informed his partner. The boy would have loved to fight some more and encounter the boss as well as a few other things but with his speed and physical strength reduced they were at great risk. The creatures were five to seven levels higher than him and the boss was going to be much more powerful. While it didn't affect his ninjutsu, Naruto couldn't rely solely on his elemental arsenal alone. The creatures were very fast and tough and the only technique he really had that affected the tough ones was also the most draining and took too long to use.

Naruto wasn't one to give up and didn't really believe in no win scenarios, but Anko pounded into his head that there would be times when he needed to pull off a tactical retreat and fight another day. She admired his mentally to not give up and push forwards through obstacles but at times one needed to come to terms with the reality of things during a hopeless situation. Ultimately it was up to him and his choices would have good or negative outcomes.

" **Instant Dungeon Escape!"** Naruto shouted and both he and Hottomaru found themselves back into his room. Putting away his ninja gear and sporting some casual clothing in its place, Naruto and Hottomaru arrived and stood in front of the Konoha General Hospital.

"Might as well get this looked at," Naruto winced and gulped. The blond academy student had been to the hospital several times in his lifetime. Usually after trying to pull off certain acrobatic stunts that spectacularly backfired on him. The smell and feel of the hospital was not for him.

"Ah, Uzumaki-san. Back again, I see," the boy froze as he heard the sadistic chuckle and felt a frigid chill go up his spine. "No," he squeaked and despite his affliction the boy ran as fast as he could.

 **"Dokutā Sutoppu** (Doctor Stop)!" the woman shouted and Naruto felt a prickling sensation in his back before his body suddenly seized up on him.

"Damn it," Naruto wanted to cry as he found himself yanked and dragged into the hospital by the woman known as the **Majo Dokutā** (Witch Doctor). From Naruto's point of view, as well as many others, Kureha was a very unorthodox, being sadistic at times, and elderly individual who viewed herself as young, hence her epithet. However, Kureha's medical expertise in Konoha was second to none, saying the only two who ever outclassed the woman as one was her former medical teacher Senju Hashirama and his granddaughter.

Many in the hospital such as doctors, nurses, administrators as well as patients could only pity the boy as the Witch Doctor brought him into a room and began examining him. "Hmm, does it hurt when I do this?" she asked while prodding the injury.

"YEEOOOOWWWW!" Naruto's scream frightened those nearby but gave Kureha all the information she needed as well.

"Hmm, looks like you fractured all the bones in your hand and severely bruised the muscle in it too," she diagnosed and moved her hand along the arm, "you also have a minor fracture in your radius and ulna. You did a swell job on your arm, brat. What did you do? Punch a steel girder or something?"

Naruto merely blushed with embarrassment and Kureha shook her head, "Of all the dumb stunts you pulled, Uzumaki," she sighed and began pulling out several medical equipment from scalpels to hacksaws. Each new one the boy spotted made him pale ever further.

"Ah, here we are," she grinned as she pulled out a needle.

"AAAAAAaaaaahhhh," Naruto's screams died as the woman injected him with a mysterious liquid.

"There, that should keep you from screaming like a little bitch," Kureha stated, neglecting to say that it would also help speed up the recovery process. Soon afterwards her hands began glowing a greenish color and she went to work on the injury. It was relatively minor but any injury that wasn't properly taken care of would either take longer to recover or potentially become worse or permanent if aggravated.

Naruto stayed silent the entire time Kureha healed his arm. The boy remembered the first time she healed him when the Old Man had brought him in for the first time. During his first year Naruto had tried to show off by completing an very advanced obstacle course meant for fifth years students and those in their final year. The result had been a broken arm, fractured leg, and busted lip. Hiruzen had personally taken him to see Kureha, saying she was a friend of his late wife, and the woman had gone off on a tangent about dumb brats doing things they shouldn't be doing.

Naturally Naruto mouthed off, and the boy soon regretted doing so when Kureha ended up drugging him up and was left at her mercy. She healed him but Naruto had been forced to stay a while, left to eat nothing but hospital food and the smell of sanitization and other weird smells.

"There that should do it," Kureha finished the healing process, "It will still take some to heal but you're free to go, brat. No training or any form of strenuous exercise for twelve hours, get plenty of bed rest and you'll need a temporary cast to make sure it heals properly."

Naruto groaned, he was unable to do anything else, but stopped when Kureha gave him a pointed look. "Doctors orders. Heaven and Hell help you if you disobey me, Heeheeheehee," she grinned maliciously and the woman's glasses flashed, scaring the injured shinobi in training.

Sometime later Naruto and his partner were seen leaving the hospital with a cast on his injured limb. "How can this get any worse?" he groaned.

"GAKI, WHAT THE HELL!?"

"Oh, fan-fucking-tastic," he cursed as worse just happened. "Hey, Anko-sensei."

"I come back early and I find you in a cast! What the hell happened?" Anko asked as she inspected his arm!

"The brat punched something he shouldn't have," all three turned around and spotted Kureha at the entrance, the woman drinking plum sake straight from the bottle. "Be sure to come back here at three. By then your cast can be taken off."

As Kureha head back into the hospital Anko shook her head, "Gaki, I should be surprised but somehow I'm not," Anko sighed the boy's idiocy.

"Hey, I had a good reason," Naruto began but stopped.

"Oh, yeah? Go on, finish. Tell me why I shouldn't beat your ass black and blue for doing something this stupid," she frowned at him.

Giving her a look, Anko frowned but realized it had to do with his ability. Nodding at him, Anko grabbed Hottomaru by the scruff of his neck and Naruto and performed a **Shunshin** to vacate the area. All three soon found themselves outside his apartment complex before they made their way inside Naruto and Hottomaru's home.

"Alright, gaki, spill," Anko ordered her ward.

Rather than say anything, Naruto opened up his **Inventory Box** and grabbed a piece of his find and showed her the ore.

"What's this?" she asked, having to admit she liked the way the light shone on the metal chunk.

" **Elementium** ," Naruto's answer caused Anko to nearly drop the rare and precious metal. The woman now realised she was currently holding one of the most valuable and wanted metals in the entire world. "But I didn't really have a pickaxe so I kinda improvised."

"By using your fist!?" the rookie Jonin had done her fair share of stupid things in her lifetime but punching a wall of solid rock to get to some metal was something else. "How the hell did you get this?"

"Dungeon," was his answer.

"Smart ass," Anko groused, "Gaki do you even know how much this thing is worth?"

"Uhhh, no?" he had a feeling she was about to tell him.

"Depending on the amount you managed to get and the purity of it all in the end you'd probably have enough money for four maybe five generations of your family to live a comfortable life," now it was Naruto's turn to be shocked. "How much did you get?"

Naruto pulled out seven more lumps of the ore and presented them to the woman. By now Anko had ryo bills for eyes as she eyed the raw metals. "Ok, maybe not five generations but definitely four."

"Mine, get your own," Naruto said as he put them away. "Gonna turn this into a weapon anyway."

Here Anko snorted, "Good luck with that, gaki. I'll tell you now that the amount of people capable of properly smelting this stuff I can count on one hand," smelting and forging weapons and equipment out of regular chakra metal ore was already a difficult process. Doing the same to this sort of ore was a ten times more difficult.

"Shit," Naruto knew it would be a while before he got such a weapon then.

"In the meantime you are getting some sleep. Don't want you to fuck up any other part of your body before graduation and-"

"You're scared of her too aren't you?" Naruto knew that while Anko was being too kind.

"Hey, can't a teacher show some concern for her student when they get – Pfttt," the woman couldn't continued and began to laugh, "Oh, boy I couldn't say that and keep a straight face," Anko sighed, "But yeah the bitch scares the hell out of me and the last thing I wanna do is piss her off," both shivered. "She's right though, you need rest, gaki. Next time you feel like punch a wall with your fists, don't… Or at least let me be there to see it blow up in your face."

"Thanks for the tip," Naruto deadpanned before he headed off to bed. Hottomaru followed after him but was suddenly grabbed by the woman.

"You're not going anywhere, Poochie. Last I saw you're fine so Midori is gonna be training you till you drop," she grinned and Midori slithered out of Anko's trench coat. The poor pup whined pitifully and looked to his partner for help.

"I'd help you Hotto… but you take up too much of the bed at times and I need sleep. Have fun!" he told them and closed the door. Leaving a wide eyed and betrayed looking ninken at the mercy of Anko and her loyal familiar.

" **Now then. Let's see how much you've improved** ," Midori and Anko's chuckle had the ninken shaking. The proud ninken even felt ready to piss himself as they left the apartment to begin the torture.

"Arf?"

* * *

 **(Next Day, Late in the Evening)**

"Ah, come on. Are you still mad at me?" a fully healed Naruto asked his sulking partner. "Look even if I wanted to help what the hell was I supposed to do? Arm wrestle her? We both know Anko wouldn't have listened anyway," Naruto said.

"Grrr," Hottomaru knew it was true but huffed and looked away from his traitorous partner.

"Yeesh, never knew you were such a little bitch," he stated.

"Arf!" Hottomaru barked indignantly at the insult.

"You know you're arguing with a dog, right?" Hayate stated as he along with Yugao appeared.

"Yeah, so? Bet ya the Inuzuka do it," Naruto retorted.

"Yes, but unlike you the Inuzuka understand what dogs say so it's not as weird. You don't, however," Yugao informed the blond. Truthfully it was still weird seeing it happen. Less weird for ninja and those used to it, but weird still.

"So what's the verdict?" Naruto asked and hoped for good news.

"Want the good news or the bad news first, kid?" Hayate asked him. The boy asked for the bad news first. "The bad news is that after we talked with Hokage-sama we couldn't get you exempt from the Bunshin portion of the exam. If he did then it would be seen as favouritism and others who also can't do it would want to be exempt from it as well."

"Crap," there went that option. "And the good news?"

Here Hayate smirked, "The good news is that as long as you can show your ability to create a flawless clone during the exam you'll pass. However, you're incapable of using the regular clone technique or an elemental one as he feels it will take too much time for you to get down because of your affinities. So instead the Hokage has allowed me to teach you a different Clone Technique that he believes you can use."

"Ok, what's that?" Naruto asked.

"It's called the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (Shadow Clone Technique)," Hayate informed him. "Normally it's only used by Jounin and above because of the large amount of chakra level requirements but in your case the Hokage has made an exception."

" _Thank you, Jiji,_ " Naruto smiled. Both because of what his surrogate grandfather did for him and because he'd now be able to pass the exam.

"This isn't going to be easy though, Naruto," Yugao's voice held a strict tone. "It took me and Hayate close to a week to properly learn the **Kage Bunshin.** This technique requires not only a lot of chakra but a great deal of concentration to form and create the amount of clones you want. People have died because of how demanding the technique is. They either made too many clones and they went into shock from the severe amount of chakra they wasted or lost and the body couldn't handle it and gave out. We have less than a day for you to learn how to properly use this technique. So the moment we begin we don't stop until you get it done."

Naruto merely smirked. The boy wasn't afraid of a challenge and to become a ninja he'd get the technique down in time. It was his ninja way.

* * *

 **Naruto Reputation Level**

Hiruzen "Exalted" (7900/10,000)

Hinata "Honored" (5200/6000)

Iruka "Friendly" (2500/3000)

Anko "Friendly" (2400/3000)

Tsume "Friendly" (50/3000)

Chouji "Friendly" (400/3000)

Shikamaru "Friendly" (400/3000)

Ino "Neutral" (450/1000)

Sakura "Disliked" (-750/3000) was originally (-250/3000)

Kiba "Neutral" (700/1000)

Akamaru "Neutral" (700/1000)

Sasuke "Neutral" (500/1000)

Teuchi "Honoured" (4600/6000)

Ayame "Honoured" (4600/6000)

Shino "Neutral" (600/1000)

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Rank: Academy Student**

 **Level: 17 Next Level: 4439/17700**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 3700**

 **CP: 5625**

 **STR: 78**

 **VIT: 121**

 **DEX: 125 (+5) = 130**

 **INT: 171**

 **WIS: 69.5**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 55**

 **Perk:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, ?

 **Special Perks:**

 **Gamer:** Allows you to live your life like a video game. You still don't know much about it though, but who cares life is good.

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP and Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards Reputation, ?

 **Titles:**

 **Apprentice Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu Swordsman:** +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Kenjutsu, Stealth **,** Feints and Movement Speed, +3 DEX, +2 STR per Lv

 **Grand Master Zombie Slayer:** 100% increase attack and defense against Undead, +50 towards stats when facing Undead, +50% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards reputation gain, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Description:** Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently an academy student with inspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. Due to great improvement and proper tutelage under Anko Mitarashi and Gekko Hayate, Naruto went from Dead Last to being a high middle rank student.

 **Money** : 1,185,446 Ryo ~ (118,544.60$)

 **Attribute Points: 0**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Job: Ninken (Ninja Dog)**

 **Level: 14 Next Level: 1093/12,900**

 **Reputation: Friendly (1025/3000)**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **Ninken Category: Hybrid "Guard and Tracking"**

 **HP: (800/800)**

 **CP: (625/625)**

 **STR: 26**

 **VIT: 32**

 **DEX: 41**

 **INT: 25**

 **WIS: 18**

 **LUK: 20**

 **DEF: 15**

 **Perks:**

 **Keen-Senses:** +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Ninja Dog:** Human Lifespan, Ability to Mould Chakra, Potential to speak human language

 **Komainu Lineage (Guard Dog):** +1 VIT, +1 STR per Lv, +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Biting Techniques, -10% Effectiveness and EXP towards Training and Reputation, "?"

 **Akita Lineage (Tracking Dog):** +2 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Tracking Skill, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Stealth, +10% towards Movement Speed during and outside combat

 **Special Perks:**

 **Gamer's Combat Pet:** A special perk that allows any of your combat pets the ability **Gamer's Body** , though they only earn a small amount of Attribute Points per level that you can allocate. However, this can be lost if you decide you don't want a certain pet or if your pet abandons you.

 **Titles:**

 **Master Zombie Slayer:** 80% increase attack and defense against Undead, +35 stats when facing Undead, +35% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Description:** A two old ninja dog with Komainu blood in his veins. While possessing great potential like his cousin Akamaru, Hottomaru like most Komainu pups require a good amount of discipline and can be difficult to train but are fiercely loyal and protective of their owners and partners.

 **Attribute Points: 0**

 **Sorry for the late update guys. Shit happened and all. Anyways too much to add to this chapter, would have ended up being over 20,000 words had I done that and this will be a two part chapter instead with canon starting in the next chapter. Also just letting you know that Hiruzen has two to three times as much chakra than Naruto. If Naruto used the Kyubi's chakra it would be greater than Hiruzen's. He was stated to have immense reserves of very powerful chakra both during his youth and presently. But because of how old he is, he now has less chakra that isn't as powerful and can't use it to its fullest potential anymore along with several other things. Sucks getting old. The dinosaur dungeon will appear again in the future, in better detail, it had a minor role in this chapter but played an important part as well. Things are now unfolding and expect much more action next chapter.**

 **Leave me tons of reviews, 70-80, and hopefully I will update next Friday or Saturday. I have a new full time job so i'll have less time and be busy. Have a nice Thanksgiving!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: For Every Action There's a Reaction Part 2**

* * *

Naruto woke up from his slumber refreshed and ready to take on the world. Today was the day that he many at the academy were excited about. Today was the day of the graduation ceremony. Today was the final day at the academy, and the last day of boring lectures and other non-thrilling or stimulating activities.

"Next up, missions…Oh, right," Naruto's good mood went south when he realized that all he'd be doing were D-Rank ones inside the village for the next little while. Over the past few months Naruto had done the equivalent of twenty D-Rank missions thanks to Yugao, Hayate and Anko. Normally it was left for Genin to accomplish but seeing as how there was absolutely no danger involved and they were more or less glorified chores that were favors his mentors owed others the Old Man saw no harm in it.

The Gamer ninja was immensely thankful for his ability to create and visit dungeons to actually see some actions and hone his skills. "And now I kill more with my Shadow Clones," the giddiness in his voice was noticeable enough that even a deaf man would be capable to hear it.

The entire process of learning and getting the Shadow Clone Technique down had taken Naruto well over an hour. By the time it was over the boy had shown a great deal of proficiency in it, a fact that still baffled and left both Hayate and Yugao in flabbergasted. What had taken them close to a week to learn and many more to properly use and master had taken him less than a day. Naruto simply had a natural affinity to it the technique it seemed.

However, Hayate had warned Naruto of the flaws of the technique and the risks he would encounter. The man explained that while Naruto was capable of creating well over fifty clones at the moment, the boy knew he could make well over a hundred clones thanks to his large chakra reserves, but said that even then he was risking it.

" _The Shadow Clone Technique splits one's chakra equally among the number of clones you create. If you make too many you'll barely have any chakra for yourself,_ " he remembered the man's warning.

The boy had done the math. One hundred Naruto's meant that every single one of them would only have about 56.25 CP in them. His Gamer ability stated that a person's CP that went below 50 CP would be at great risk of going into shock, perhaps even dying, for having so little chakra. The little amount would not affect the Shadow Clones compared to the regular Bunshin but would still have drawbacks.

Everyone was born with enough chakra to survive when they were born, some with more or less than others because of their lineage. There was a difference however in having chakra and being able to actually use it. Almost anyone could use chakra but the process had much greater success at a very young age.

Naruto found that it was why the academy tried to increase a student's chakra reserves. Stamina, and control before they started teaching them techniques. With animals and creatures from dungeons the rules were an exception do to their different body structures and makeup from humans. Similar to how humans body allowed them to do things such as eating foods an animal couldn't and vice versa.

Hayate said that since the bodies had little chakra in them they weren't as durable either if he made fewer clones. The boy wasn't dumb, as that meant a clone wouldn't be able use a ninjutsu or bukijutsu skill more than two or three times before it ran out and disappeared. Which meant that such a large amount of clones would more or less be better suited as an intimidation tactic against weaker foes or when he wanted to overwhelm a single individual.

At the moment the perfect amount of clones to make was between five and ten. This way they either had between 562.5 CP and 1125 CP. Having that number would allow them to use some of the more powerful techniques or a certain technique a lot more. The only problem was that since Naruto was still new to the technique his control over the amount of clones he wanted to make wasn't the greatest. Even with him having a great deal of control over his chakra the lowest amount of clones he could make was seven if he really focused.

"WAKE UP, GAKI!"

"Gahhhh!" Naruto and his ninken jumped up in fright. The now four foot nine and still growing Genin, thanks to loosing his **Malnourished** status effect, drew out a kunai and **Chichizouge** (Bloody Ivory) on reflex.

"Oh, that never gets old," Anko laughed as she entered the room. "By the way your traps need some more improvement," the ones she gave weren't bad as they'd stop a decent amount of intruders, but the set up he had done with them wouldn't prevent a Jounin or someone who specialized in traps from getting in.

"That's never gonna stop is it?" he sighed upon seeing her smile. It was all the answer he needed, "What do what, Anko-sensei?" he asked as he took his clothes into the bathroom and began dressing himself.

"I'm hurt, gaki," she heard him snort, "Well, whatever. Just came to see how you were doing. Feeling pumped for the big day?"

"On one hand, hell yeah!" the woman laughed a bit at his enthusiasm. "On the other hand, I'm not caring so much about the whole D-Rank mission I have to do."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Anko groaned lowly. It was one of the few downsides of teaching she realized. Personally speaking Anko didn't see D-Rank missions as actual missions. They were nothing but chores that lazy or elderly individuals paid for to get done. Many went about saying how it helped promote teamwork and the woman often called them on the bullshit. Certainly there were some D-Rank missions that required them to work together, such as the infamous capture mission that involved the next generation of Tora, but that was only one third of the time. The rest they did specific chores by themselves under the watchful guidance and view of their teachers.

"You nervous?" she asked him.

"Nah," Naruto replied from the bathroom, "This is gonna be easy," he smirked.

"Cocky much?" she asked him. " _Then again I'd be to with the amount of skills he now has and what's needed to graduate,_ " she mentally pouted. Anko herself had graduated at age ten, compared to the usual graduation twelve or thirteen ratio, and had been required to show the academy three, pass the written and taijutsu portion of the exam, and show that she could proficiently use three C-Rank techniques be they ninjutsu, bukijutsu or genjutsu. "Any thoughts on who you want to be teamed up with?" she asked.

"Shikamaru and Chouji are kinda lazy and as much as I like those guys not them … maybe Sasuke-teme or Dog-breath since they're pretty skilled but they're always trying to be top dog so," Anko understood. Kiba and Sasuke, more so Sasuke, were skilled and serious about the ninja lifestyle but Anko had seen from experience that while rivalry was good there was a chance that could end badly. Especially when it was evident that one was starting to get better than the other or be promoted while the other wasn't. "Anyone else?"

"Shino and Hinata are quiet but I guess I could work with them," Naruto didn't knew them personally but neither one made fun of him. "Ino's a loudmouth but she's one of the better students," Anko nodded at that, "…Sakura-chan maybe," Anko wasn't surprised. Despite what happened months ago, emotions and feelings for another didn't go away quite as easily as some made it out to be. It could have been worse though as Anko had seen talented shinobi let their skills go to waste because of heartbreak. Naruto still had lingering feelings for the pinkette but at least he didn't let them impede his growth as a ninja.

Truthfully she did this merely because she wanted to see what his reaction would be when he was part of the team she wanted. With Ino he was hesitant but willing to work with, which was fine in her books, and with Hinata he was indifferent but ok with as she didn't make fun or demean him like some of the others.

Thinking of the team she wanted Anko recalled the meeting she had with the former generation of InoShikaCho. All three men, though Shikaku had been a bit laid back, hadn't been pleased by the fact that the amount of time they had spent training their kids when they were teamed together ultimately resulted in nothing.

Luckily Anko had thought ahead and informed the men's wives. All three women had married into the clan and though they supported their husbands they didn't have the same mindset when it came to team formations. When Anko had told her reasoning, along with emphasising a few other details, they had accepted her decision. It was either deal with it or face the wrath of irate wives. Needless to say, while still disappointed, all three men backed off and "accepted" that the next generation of InoShikaCho wasn't going to happen, Shikaku being the first to submit.

"As strong individually, and as powerful as they are together, all men are whipped by their wives," Anko cackled just as Naruto got out of the bathroom. The woman gave Naruto a look over and creased her eyebrows. "You're gonna need to replace your gear soon, gaki," the woman wasn't lying as she eyed the patches and cuts on the worn out ninja wear. Then again it was basic armor for ninja in training and not really meant for combat situations other than spars compared to the practice he was getting in the dungeons.

"Yeah, I know," the boy knew already his gear needed replacing. His armor had seen better days even with him having the **Gear Maintenance Skill**. The skill effectively helped him repair, maintain, and restore the durability in his armor, tools, and weapons but even with the skill maxed there was only so much he could do before he was forced to replace them. It lengthened the lifespan but it wasn't infinite.

"But the stuff I want is too damn pricy," he had a ton of money now but was saving it for something else.

"You gotta spend money to make money, gaki," Anko informed the soon to be graduate. "Anyway, just dropped by to say good luck, gaki. Not that you'll need it though."

"Thanks," he smiled at the woman before grabbing Hottomaru, "See you later, Anko-sensei," the boy said, opened a window and used the Shunshin to arrive at the academy.

Anko frowned as she realized she wouldn't be there to see him when he graduated from the academy. Having been roped with an important assignment at the last minute that would take a great portion of the day. "Eh, I'll make it up to him."

* * *

(Konoha Academy Sometime Later)

Naruto and his classmates waited patiently for the teachers to come in and begin the exam. The students were in a bigger classroom as the other graduate block joined theirs. The two blocks only ever met one another during lunchtime because of different schedules. Each block only had thirty students or less because some were either held back, failed, or skipped ahead and because the number allowed the teachers to effectively regulate and look after the students.

The reason why they were joined today was because they were all undergoing the same test at the same time compared to before. The first part was the written portion that lasted a good two hours, followed by a forty-five minute break as they marked down the results, and then the physical portion of the exam began which lasted an hour and a half. Afterwards they had lunch for thirty minutes and began the final portion, which lasted half an hour, which consisted of the academy three ninjutsu. It was flawed really when one thought about it.

"Even if a person fails the other portions they can pass so long as they do well on the last one," it made no sense really why the ninjutsu portion had a greater weighing average than the other two portions.

"Arf," Hottomaru agreed with his partner.

The moment the door opened everyone directed their attention towards the six academy instructors that walked in, "Glad to see you're all paying attention to me for once," a few laughed at Iruka's joke, even some of the teachers. "Now before we begin I'd like to say how proud I am to see you all here. Your journey was long-"

"Sensei can we forgo the sentimental crap and get on with it already?" Kiba's remark was joined by the agreement of many academy students.

Iruka was downtrodden, " _I worked all night on that speech,_ " he sulked before doing exactly what the students wanted. "Alright then. As you're all eager," he sent a glare at the students, "I guess I'll start with the rules. No cheating, no peaking, and you have an hour and a half to finish the written test. Once you're done raise your hand and I or another teacher will pick it up for you."

One by one the students were each given a sheet of stapled paper that was rested on its back. When the last student was given the test Iruka shouted begin and they began writing. As time passed by Naruto wasn't surprised to see that Sakura ended up finishing the test first and with less than an hour. Followed soon by Sasuke, Ino, Shino, and Hinata several minutes later. Naruto himself managed to finish the test with eleven minutes to spare and had it taken away by Suzume.

Naruto frowned a bit as he thought of the woman. Suzume never picked on him compared to some of the other teachers he had but the woman gave off a sort of snooty I'm better than you are aura and if things didn't go how she wanted she wasn't very forgiving,

Written tests had never been Naruto's forte, even after a great deal of studying and improvement, the highest mark he had ever gotten in them was seventy one percent. Some questions were obvious such as naming the five primary elemental releases and their weakness and who was the founder of the academy.

Others such as past battles during the Era of Warring states, Shinobi World Wars, and the answer to an algebraic formula weren't as easy. Some questions actually didn't make any sense really or made him wonder what it had to do with the ninja way of life and how it was going to help him become a ninja in the first place. Either way he couldn't complain about it now and the boy could only wait for the results. Having some time to kill Naruto took a page of out Shikamaru's book and took a brief nap.

Eleven minutes later the boy was woken up from his rest by the sound of Iruka shouting, "Time!" effectively bringing the blond out of the land of dreams.

"The two hours are up! Place your pencils down and stop writing on your test. The results will be posted later and then we will move on to the next portion of the examination. Please follow Mizuki and Suzume-sensei to the designated area where the physical portion will take place."

One by one the students left the classroom and waited in the area that they were brought to. Deciding to continue his nap, Naruto laid down on the grass and was joined by Hottomaru.

When forty odd minutes had passed the boy got up and as he began looking around Naruto saw that many had a look of worry on their face. The boy ignored them and focused his attention on the training area they had. It was basic really. Several targets were set up, a combat ring was in place, and something that looked like an obstacle course.

" _If this is all that's needed to pass the physical portion then this will be a piece of cake,_ " Naruto grinned.

"What's with the grin, dobe?" Naruto heard Kiba ask him.

"Just thinking how easy this is gonna be, Dog-breath," Naruto said.

Kiba frowned but remained silent. The Inuzuka heir was boastful, arrogant, and not the sharpest tool in the shed but he wasn't the dumbest of individuals.

The boy knew that Naruto was stronger, faster, and smarter than what he used to be if the thrashing Kiba got from him during the fight several weeks ago. Since then Kiba had been improving but even then the feral boy still couldn't match Naruto in terms of skill taijutsu anymore. Naruto always came out on top now, having only come to close to losing to Sasuke once but won in the end.

" _How the hell did he get so strong?_ " had it been Sasuke he wouldn't have thought much of it as Sasuke had always been hailed as a prodigy, Naruto not so much. Before he could think anymore on the matter the Inuzuka saw several teachers make their way towards them.

"Alright, everyone gather round," Iruka began, "By now some of you will have already figured out what the next portion of the exam will consist of. This will be a three-part exam. Here we will test your accuracy, your speed and dexterity, as well as your physical strength and endurance."

Soon the students were split into three groups of twenty students each and two teachers. Each group was being tested on a certain course and when the groups were done some twenty minutes later they would switch to another course.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Suzume announced as she presented the boy with a set of kunai, shuriken, and a piece of paper. "Your score during the written test was sixty eight percent," some who knew Naruto or heard of him laughed at that remark. Others however not as much as they knew that the old Naruto would have either passed by the skin of his nose or failed brilliantly. It wasn't the greatest mark but it was a hell of a lot better than what it could have been.

Picking up the kunai lazily Naruto glanced at the targets. The test was similar to the one from before with the only difference being that they were much further and had a smaller target painted on them. For some it would make them worry. For Naruto and his experience in dungeons it was nothing.

Twirling the kunai in his hands, the metal weapons soon became a blur as he launched them at the stationary wooden posts. Each bladed weapon either pierced right through them at the center of the bulls-eyes or was buried up to the hilt. The same followed when he used the shuriken.

Suzume was surprised but the woman composed herself as she gave him a perfect mark for the accuracy portion. The woman had only taught Naruto during his first two years and hadn't been impressed by the boy. Unlike other the woman didn't care about the Kyubi inside him, but still didn't like the boy's attitude and mannerisms. She thought him to be a slacker and a mockery of what shinobi should be and thought he had little hopes of passing or becoming a ninja. To see him do what he just did, and from the looks of it he wasn't even trying, shocked the woman.

" _Bored,_ " Naruto honestly thought there would be more to it than this. Even if it involved a moving target it would have been more interesting or challenging. Not by much really as it would still be easy but a slight challenge was better than no challenge.

When his group moved on to the obstacle course Naruto yawned. When he was younger he had attempted this very course and had gotten hurt in the process. Now that he saw it he wasn't impressed. Anko and Midori had made him run through much more dangerous obstacles, mainly them and some very inventive traps, compared to this puny little thing.

"Alright, everyone, you each have exactly one minute to reach the end of the obstacle course. If you get hit by some of the obstacles that are meant to slow you done it will result in a second being added to your time. If the amount of time gone by is over a minute you fail and receive a zero for this portion of the exam," many gulped and began to worry. Naruto it for what it was, another test. Anko had told him that ninja were often tested to see how well they could do under pressure and the stress it brought on.

Naruto watched as each one of them went. Some of which passed well or by the skin of their nose, while others failed or were struck and/or knocked out by the obstacles they were meant to dodge.

Once it was his turn, Naruto took his position, breathed and when the teacher shouted go he took off like a rocket. The boy ran across the field where blunt shuriken and kunai were being thrown, catching a blunt kunai and using it to deflect the other wooden object that came his way. Next he crawled underneath barbed wire and was forced to crawl a good twenty odd feet without getting his uniform snagged. Once that was done Naruto had to run along the length of a tight rope while bobbing and weaving from large swinging stumps of wood that wanted to knock him on his ass.

Once that was done and over with the blond then had to climb up a rock wall, climb done and then sprint to the finish line. However, thanks to the adrenaline that was currently pumping through him Naruto subconsciously began to run up the rock face using only his feet much to the astonishment of the academy students and teachers.

" _What the hell!_ " was the collective thought of many as they saw Naruto run up the obstacle, his momentum not slowing down as he did.

The blond then kicked himself off the top of the obstacle, hit the group and continued to run towards the finish line before he finally crossed it. The moment he crossed over did Iruka become even more surprised as he saw the time on the stop watch.

"44.39 seconds!" Naruto's time was currently the best of his year at the moment, beating even Sasuke's. It wasn't the best in the academy history though. The school record being 32.87 seconds that had been set by the Yondaime Hokage when he was a student, and the only ones that came close to breaking the record had been Uchiha Itachi and Might Guy when they took their tests.

Once more many were left speechless at the fact that the former Dead Last had improved so well. Some had come to acknowledge that Naruto had indeed improved while others still clung to the notion that he was a loser who was merely going through a lucky streak. As the last of the students finished up, Naruto's group moved to their final physical examination.

"Alright, everyone, the goal with this exam is simple. You are going to be facing off against one of the teachers and you are meant to last at least one minute and try to land a punch if possible. If you get pushed out of the circle or don't last a before a minute passes you fail," Iruka explained.

Excusing himself to go use the washroom, Naruto took a classic page out of the shinobi handbook and cheated by powering himself up with **Ninpo: Goriki** (Ninja Art: Hard Strength). When facing against Anko the boy had discovered that some of the techniques he had gave off no signature or flare of energy. The **Goriki** was one of them and as far as others were concerned his newfound strength was nothing more than pure muscle power. Technically it was true as the technique basically made the muscles in his body stronger.

When the students were about to begin with their testing, Naruto willingly volunteered to go first as he faced off against Daikoku Funeno. Naruto recalled the man when he first entered the academy. He was kind and fair but expected effort from his students in everything they did. Daikoku was relatively slimmer during Naruto's first year at the academy but now the man was bigger, nowhere as big as an Akimichi, but it was evident he had put on some weight since the last time he saw the brown haired Chunin.

"Ready, begin!"

Daikoku began to circle Naruto and performed a few mock lunges to through the boy off and lose his balance. Having been taught by three mentors who literally pounded into is head to recognize body language, even if it wasn't perfect, Naruto saw through the act quickly. When Daikoku realized that Naruto wasn't going to fall for his tricks the man come in and threw a few punches that while fast would still allow a potential graduate level ninja to dodge and evade.

What the man didn't count on was Naruto grabbing the outstretched appendage and pull with all his might. Daikoku was caught off guard by the move and the man soon found himself launched out of the ring and a great deal away from the group. The act was unexpected but not dangerous or life threatening as the man flipped and righted himself in the air before he landed in a crouch.

"What just happened?" Daikoku asked but was met with silence. The man had been pulling back true to give the students a fighting chance but even then he had not expected an academy student to demonstrate such physical strength. Aside from Itachi years back when Daikoku was younger no one else ever did. Part of him wondered if the Kyubi played a factor in impressive Naruto's physical prowess.

"Uh…" was all Iruka could say as his mind tried to process what he happened.

"I think that's my win, Iruka-sensei," Naruto said before he left the ring and a group of flabbergasted individuals. It went without saying that Naruto had easily dominated this portion of the exam.

The boy was truly bored and disappointed with the exam really. When he had done these tests before they were a challenge, now not so much thanks to his powered up skills and stats. Though Naruto also knew that had Daikoku been serious from the start and not underestimated Naruto's strength the match wouldn't have been quite as easy. His chances of winning would have been lower but Naruto liked to think that he most likely would have still won the match despite the added difficulty.

As the last student finished the groups took lunch. Not wanting to be bothered by some of the students that would most likely ask him some questions the blond jinchuriki grabbed his ninken and Body Flickered to a more secluded location. Taking out a couple pieces of **Roasted Boar Meat** , one for himself and the other for his partner, both males began eating in peace. As the minutes passed Naruto wondered what he was going to do for the rest of the day once he finished with the Exam.

"Guess I can go back to that **Primordial World Dungeon** ," he received some good EXP and there were some items found there that couldn't be discovered presently. It was based on what the world used to be in ancient times after all. Some of the plants and other items such as **Elementium** from that time may fetch a damn good amount of money. "Then again when I become a Genin I can enter the next Dungeon available in the training areas," the blond was curious as to what the new dungeons had to offer him now.

"Did you hear?" Naruto stopped munching on his lunch as he overheard the chatter below him. The boy spotted what appeared to be a couple of Chunin instructors based on their attire. From their appearance Naruto speculated that they were new ones too.

"Hear what?" the man asked in a bored tone.

"Heard the Uzumaki brat dominated the physical part of the exam, and get this; he beat Daikoku," the man's words made his companion choke.

"Bullshit! You serious?" he asked, "Uzumaki Naruto, the dead last and overall terror of the village defeated a Chunin?" granted Daikoku was an academy instructor so he wasn't the strongest of Chunin Konoha had to offer but to lose to an academy student.

"Very same," his companion added with a grin. "Kid just went and grabbed Daikoku and tossed away like yesterday's garbage."

"How the hell did that happen? The kid's the Dead Last, the bottom of the barrel, a loser," Naruto scowled and made a mental note to prank the man's ass when he got the chance.

"You sure it was Uzumaki?"

"Course I'm sure. What other kid in Konoha has whisker marks on their face twenty four seven?" his companion conceded to that fair point. The boy is the only one who had who had them. "After that happened Daikoku didn't go as easy on the rest of them. Over a third of them failed to last a minute and more of them left with a few bruises. Poor brats."

"You think this has anything to do with-" the man never finished the sentence as his companion covered his mouth.

"You idiot! You wanna get us both in trouble!" the man's reprimand was harsh. "You know the law. We can't speak about it in public! Last person who did wasn't seen again!"

The man paled and glanced around to see if anyone was nearby. When he spotted no one he breathed a sigh of relief. Unknown to both idiots, the person in question had heard every single word but couldn't make sense of it.

" _What law are they talking about?_ " Naruto wondered why a law involved him. The boy cursed as he was drawn away from his thought when he heard the school bell announcing the end of their lunch break. Finishing up his meal, Naruto grabbed his ninken and used the Body Flicker to then appear near the academy entrance. The boy didn't want to be asked how he knew such a technique despite it being a D-Rank one.

Entering the classroom, which was now just starting to fill up with various students, Naruto took his seat and waited for the teachers to come in and begin the final portion of the exam. The wait wasn't long as both Mizuki and Iruka entered with a table full of Konoha Forehead Protectors.

"This is it, the final portion of the graduation ceremony. Many of you have done very well and you've all worked very hard to get here. I couldn't be more proud," the man's comment made many smile, "Now before you become Genin all of you need to show us that you're capable of performing the Academy Three Ninjutsu. Do so and you pass. Fail and you will need to wait until the next graduation ceremony for your chance at becoming a Genin."

It was bogus and flawed as hell in Naruto's mind. Even if a person did well in the other portions it would be for nothing if they were unable to perform one of the necessary ninjutsu required to pass. It didn't make any sense. " _Who the fuck came up with this?_ "

One by one the students were called up to perform the basic academy three. Some did very well, others not so much but it was decent enough to pass, while others he saw would be forced to stay another year.

Naruto rolled his eyes and groaned as he saw Sasuke's fangirls go crazy as the Uchiha performed the required techniques flawlessly. When the raven haired boy received his forehead protector he smirked. An act that made his fangirls swoon.

"Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Now or never," Naruto muttered as he stood in front of the two academy teachers. The boy felt the eyes of almost everyone being focused on him.

"Perform the Henge," Iruka ordered.

Naruto smirked as his body was covered head to toe in a white cloud. Both Chunin blinked as the smoke cleared and the men's eyes, along with many males, nearly popped out of their skulls as they saw the voluptuous and nude form of one Mitarashi Anko.

"Do. I. Pass?" 'Anko' asked with a wink and as 'she' pressed her breasts together. The effect from the maneuver was instantaneous. Virtually every male in the classroom, except a napping Shikamaru, were propelled backwards by a flood of blood expelling from his nose. Cancelling the Henge, Naruto cackled at the reaction, while many of the females in the classroom looked ready to tear him a new one.

"NARUTO!" Iruka bellowed at his student. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" the man asked.

"Huh… Anko?" he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Took me some time to get it down, too. Couldn't really get the breasts right till I saw them," he added.

"That's not what I was…" the man blinked as he processed what was said, "Wait… what do you mean you saw her breasts?"

"I mean I saw them?" was the casual response, with many of females in the class cracking their knuckles and given the blonde looks that would have killed him ten times over. "Well technically she showed them when she got tired of me getting the size wrong."

The answer caused Iruka's jaw, along with several others, to fall to the floor with a resounding thud. Kiba was banging his head on the desk ranting on how unfair it was, while the females of the class were in disbelief. Hinata was passed out on the floor. Her face flushed a deep crimson. Iruka didn't know whether to reprimand or congratulate his student on seeing two things few men saw or only dreamed of seeing and willingly, too. Then again it was Anko they were talking about after all. "Ugh…right. Moving on, perform the **Kiwarimi** with that chair and back again."

The boy groaned, as he would have loved to mess with Iruka's head some more, but performed the technique as requested with no trouble. When he was done Iruka made a few notes on a piece of paper, "Very nice. Now perform the **Bunshin** and make at least two perfect copies of yourself."

Crossing his fingers, Naruto focused as much as possible before he performed the **Shadow Clone Technique**. In a second there were eight Naruto in front of both stunned academy instructors. "You only needed to make two, Naruto," Iruka chuckled as he inspected the clones for any faults. When he found none Iruka told his student to cancel technique. Just as he was about to congratulate his student on passing, the man thought he spotted something on the floor as the clones disappeared. In this case, a shadow.

" _Bunshins don't have shadows_ ," the brow on Iruka's head furrowed for a second before he shook his head and passed it off as his mind playing tricks on him. It had been a long day so it was very possible. "Congratulations, Naruto. You pass."

* * *

 **[QUEST COMPLETION!]**

 **Academy Graduation**

 **Main Quest: Graduate from the Academy and don't become Dead Last. (Accomplished)**

 **Side Quest: Graduate as Mid-Ranking Student. (Accomplished)**

 **Side Quest 2: Master the Academy 3 Ninjutsu (Semi-Accomplished)**

 **Total Rewards: 5650 EXP, 8 Attribute Points, 500 Reputation with Anko, Iruka, Hiruzen, and Academy Students**

* * *

Naruto smiled but was confused when another popup window appeared next.

 **Congratulations you've gained the Rank of Genin! You can now undertake missions outside of Konoha! As a reward you've gained 10 Attribute Points, 10,000 Ryo, gain and additional 10% EXP and loot increase from enemies and can now enter new Dungeons! In addition you receive an additional 10 Attribute Points per year as a Genin.**

 **Warning: You can lose some of these benefits if you are demoted.**

 **Challenge Becoming a Genin has been Completed**

 **Reward: 2000 EXP**

"Yatta!" Naruto cheered. Today was the best day ever in his mind. Iruka just smiled as he handed over the boy's forehead protector.

Mizuki himself congratulated the boy but inwardly the man was livid that the demon had indeed passed. Excusing himself momentarily, to which Iruka said he'd manage on his own, Mizuki left for the hallway and fumed.

" _God fucking damn it!_ " the man realized that the informant was right. Loathed as he wanted to acknowledge it the demon had gotten better. " _Now I have no choice but to go with plan B,_ " while not his first choice or how he wanted it the man was left with no other option. The only question was, " _Who the hell I'm I gonna get as a patsy?"_

"I'm sorry, Hibachi," Mizuki heard Iruka from the hallway. "While your Kawarimi and Bunshin are … decent your Henge is not up to par. I'm afraid you will have to stay another year."

The boy shook with rage and defiance and quite a few knew the boy wanted to lash out. However, a stern look from Iruka put a stop to the idea and Hibachi ran out of the classroom and bumped into Mizuki. The boy didn't bother to excuse himself and kept on going. In his anger the boy didn't see the malicious look in the traitor's face.

" _Perfect,_ " Mizuki smirked.

* * *

(Sometime Later; Late at Night)

"Tough break, gaki," Naruto heard Anko's voice from behind him. "You gave it your best-"

"What the hell are you talking about? I passed," Naruto told her.

"…You did?" she shifted her eyes to his head that had no forehead protector, "You sure about that?"

Naruto saw her gaze and immediately understood her skepticism, "Oh, right. I don't have it on me at the moment. Ask Iruka-sensei if you-"

"That's my gaki!" Anko never let him finish his sentence. The woman cheered as she gave her ward a bone-crushing hug; tearing the boy away from his beloved Ichiraku ramen.

Naruto knew that if the hug wasn't going to kill him then having his lungs being deprived of oxygen thanks to her ample assets firmly pressed up against his face would. " _Hell of a way to go,_ " he thought as he was buried in the cloud soft breasts. Personally he would have preferred going out on the battlefield doing something kickass or awesome but this was good, too.

" _Lucky kid,_ " Teuchi envied his favorite customer at the moment.

"So how'd it go? Boring as hell," just by seeing the look on Naruto's face the woman got her answer. "Uh… never mind. Sorry I wasn't there to congratulate ya, gaki. Had to do some last minute work that only my sexy ass self could do."

"Torture?"

"Bingo. Damn guy squealed like a stuck piggy… was kinda boring actually," Anko had hoped for a better challenge and had gotten some cannon fodder once more. "Where's your headband anyway?"

"Was at Testu's to get my **Minor Grade Exploding Tags** but since I know fuinjutsu and can make some of my own he offered to turn my hitaite into a happuri style one instead," Naruto originally didn't think much about it but through the use of **Observe** he discovered that a happuri forehead protector offered much better protection than the standard ones.

At the same time Naruto realized that Anko had been right and decided to invest a good 75,000 Ryo into getting two decent pieces armor gear. While shocked at first at the amount, especially from an orphan, a few well placed lies and twisting a few things around such as his D-Rank missions had the man become less skeptical. Naruto knew that telling the man he got the money from Anko would have been a bust, and while Hiruzen would have been more believable the man would still have his doubts on the matter. Naruto was capable of affording much better armor with the amount he had but didn't want to blow his cover.

" _At least now they won't clash with my cloak,_ " the boy had been very specific on that part when he made the order. He would have loved getting a sword but it was better to have proper defense. The sword could wait he supposed.

"Well, since you graduated," here Anko presented the boy with a gift box. "Think of it as a little graduation gift. Meant to give it you earlier but … ya know."

Pleasantly surprised, Naruto tore into the wrapping like the raptors did into their meal. Taking the lid off Naruto's eyes deadpanned as he saw a scroll, "This is gonna be one of _those_ types of gifts, huh," the boy asked but already knew the answer. Well, it certainly befitted Anko's personality.

Taking the scroll, Naruto unfurled it and channeled some chakra into the sealing matrix. A poof of cloud later and the boy saw a sword resting before him, "Technically it's a gift from me, Hayate, and Yugao but those two are off on duty so they asked me to send you their best."

* * *

 **Custom-Made Uchigatana – Uncommon Quality**

 **Blade Weapon**

 **Durability 65/65**

 **A custom made sword made from good quality tamahagane (Jewel Steel) and some chakra metal to increase durability and allow one to better channel chakra into it. While not the strongest or deadliest of weapons in the world this 60 cm bladed sword can still be deadly in the right hands. Unlike its cousin the tachi, to which the act of drawing and striking with the sword were two separate actions, unsheathing an uchigatana and cutting the enemy down with it became one smooth, lightning-fast action. This makes it the ideal weapon when used in conjunction with speed based kenjutsu styles such as Iaido and Iaijutsu.**

 **Attack Power: 57-76**

 **Requirements: Basic Bladed Weapon Mastery Skill**

 **Bonus Stats: +15% increase towards Movement Speed in Kenjutsu, +15% chance to cause Bleeding and Severing**

* * *

"I love you guys," Naruto whispered but was heard by Anko, Midori, Teuchi and Ayame. All four individuals smiledFew had ever given him gifts so valuable. The only real gifts he ever got had been Gamachan from an anonymous individual, and the scrolls and weapon he got from the Old Man.

"Aw, love you too, gaki," Naruto found himself pulled into the woman's bosom once again. The boy heard Teuchi snicker lecherously before his daughter wacked him over the head with a ladle. After finishing his ramen Naruto decided to leave to go and test out his new weapon.

Having been offered free ramen, not that she cared all that much for the stuff, Anko stayed for a while as she made idle chat with the sous chef of the ramen stand. "So the kid really did eat here almost twenty four seven?" Anko thought it had been an exaggeration but to actually hear it.

"Unfortunately," Ayame nodded, "I love Naruto-kun, he's like the little brother I never had, but his diet was terrible. But because of how many treated or turned him away he usually only came here to eat or bought instant ramen," Ayame had made sure the boy ate his vegetables whenever she could but boys will be boys as the saying went.

"Weesh," Anko winced. The woman wasn't an expert but her knowledge on poisons also gave her an insight on how the human body worked. She was no medic in terms of knowledge but she knew more than most. Even if a shinobi burned more calories and fat faster than others they still needed the nutrients to properly fuel their bodies. This was especially important in children when their bodies needed those nutrients for a healthy growth. Eating mostly ramen wasn't going to that and would be detrimental.

" _No wonder Naruto was small at the time,"_ even for his age such as small stature was highly uncommon. Sure it meant he'd be harder to hit due to his small stature but that meant squat against seasoned and experienced ninja who could hit targets the size of pea from very far away. Luckily Naruto's new diet helped him grow a few inches in the last four months. He wasn't the tallest Genin but wasn't the smallest anymore either.

Fifteen minutes later, Anko prepared to call it a night when she spotted several Chunin jumping and running around like mad. Spotting Iruka amongst them Anko grabbed his attention, "Hey, Umino! What's going on?"

His words would leave her speechless, "Naruto's stolen the Scroll of Seals!"

"…WHAT!"

* * *

(Meanwhile)

"Hiyaahh!"

Naruto blocked a sword strike that came at him from his clone. The blond had created well over a dozen clones to practice with his new sword and so far the boy was pleased. Much like the description stated the sword allowed him to unsheathe and strike at another in one single motion. Granted it was far from smooth but it was not bad for someone who was still an apprentice swordsman with little experience or practice in iaijutsu techniques.

Lashing out with his sword in a backwards spin that caught the clone that tried to sneak up behind him, Naruto was happy to see it go away in a puff of white smoke. Satisfied with the results, the young swordsman dispelled his other clones and looked at his ninken. "Wanna go do a dungeon and test this baby out?"

"Arf!" Hottomaru barked. The young ninken was bored of today's inactivity and eager to face off against something that would pose a challenge.

"I'll take that as a yes," Naruto smiled as the two began leaving the woods.

"Did you get it?" Naruto suddenly heard a voice to his left. The blond was unable to see whoever it was because they were obscured by the trees.

"Yeah, I got it! Even fooled them with the Henge. So do I pass now?" Naruto realized that the voice sounded very much like Hibachi.

"Yeah, you did good, Hibachi," was all the voice said.

*Shing Shluuunk*

Naruto had little time to ponder on what they were talking about when he heard the grinding of metal and then a wet sound. Soon after did the boy hear someone gagging, followed by some gurgling, and a thud as though someone hit the ground, "Stupid, kid. Wish you were the demon but I had to work with what I got. Thanks for the scroll, though."

"Grrr!" Naruto looked to his side and saw that Hottomaru's fur was on edge. Knowing that Hotto only did that in the presence of danger, Naruto held his sword more tightly. The blond ducked behind the bushes and as silently as possible he peered out. Naruto's eyes widened in horror as he spotted Mizuki wiping the blood off a bloodstained kunai, but that wasn't the worst of it. What was worst was seeing the lifeless form of Hibachi, a deep gruesome cut across his throat that still poured precious life fluid on the ground.

Naruto would have gone into shock or begin hyperventilating had his Gamer's Mind not come into play and take the edge off. As it was the boy couldn't do anything for Hibachi. The boy was long gone. While Naruto didn't care for the boy for what he did to him years ago the new Genin didn't want him dead.

Focusing his attention away from the corpse as much as he could, Naruto saw Mizuki with his back turned away from him as opened up a large scroll. " _Hey, I know that!_ "

Having been in the Hokage's office so many times when he was younger, Naruto had been shown quite a few things no other Genin or Academy Student had seen. Before him was the Scroll of Seals. This along with Hibachi's death meant one thing and one thing only. " _Mizuki's a traitor!"_

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Fight or Die!**

 **Main Quest: Defeat Mizuki**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Second Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Main Quest Completion: +4000 EXP, +5 Stats, +1000 Reputation Gain with Konoha and Inhabitants, ?**

 **Hidden Objective Completion: ?**

 **Second Hidden Objective Completion: ?**

 **Failure: -1000 Reputation with Konoha and Inhabitants, Potentially Death or Earn Crippling Injury Status**

 **This Quest is Mandatory**

* * *

Naruto knew he needed to act fast. It was evident that Mizuki was leaving Konoha and he was taking the scroll with him. Signaling Hottomaru to stay hidden and silent, Naruto acted quickly and activated his **Goriki** to enhance his strength. The boy soon followed up with a **Shadow Strike** and delivered a vicious slash at the Chunin's back. Had the man not been wearing a Chunin Vest the technique would have potentially killed Mizuki.

Instead the attack left a deep cut in the man's back and sent him tumbling away. "Gaaaarghhhh!" Mizuki howled in agony. The aftermath from the attack left the man's body wracked with pain. Blood flooded freely from the man's back at an alarming rate and already the man could feel himself growing weaker from the loss.

Locking his eyes on the one who did this to him, Mizuki glared hatefully, "Damn you, demon!" Mizuki snarled. The man would have loved to expose the demon's identify to it as an insult to the village and to spite the demon itself but time was precious. Every second that went by the man felt his strength being sapped as the blood from his injury continued to flow out of his body.

Throwing his giant shuriken at the boy, Mizuki was satisfied to see him dodge the large and deadly projectile. Quickly seizing the opportunity that presented itself, Mizuki grabbed the vial left to him by the informant. As he began uncorking the cylindrical container of glass the man suddenly felt a deep pressure on his shoulder and soon felt his head make contact with the ground.

"W… What?" the weakened man had no idea what was happening before he found fell unconscious from the blood loss and concussive blow. Seeing the enemy was now out of it, Hottomaru let go of his prey's shoulder and reverted back to his smaller form. Checking up on him, Naruto released a sigh of relief. The boy had killed animals and many undead; but killing an actual living breathing human was completely different.

On one hand, part of him thought Mizuki deserved death for betraying Konoha and for killing a classmate. On the other hand, the thought of killing another human for the first time was unsettling. He knew he'd have to do it sooner or later, he was a ninja now after all, but it wasn't as easy as it sounded.

"Nice work, Hotto," Naruto patted his partner before he grabbed the Scroll of Seals. Seeing the vial in his hands, Naruto grabbed and briefly scanned it with his **Observe.** The item only came up as **Mysterious Liquid** with many question marks in it. Putting the vial away in his **Inventory Box** , Naruto began rummaging through Mizuki's person for any clues as to why he was doing this. Hottomaru though for his part merely snarled at the fallen shinobi.

The ninken wished to get the taste of the man's blood out of his mouth. It tasted foul, but unlike the rotten flesh he tasted from the zombies, Mizuki's blood tasted malevolently foul. It felt tainted in the ninken's mind.

"Hotto!" the ninken's attention was soon diverted away from the fallen man as he looked to his partner. In his hands was a scroll that whatever was in it was rather unsettling, "Go get someone! No, better yet get Anko or Iruka-sensei!" Traitor or no Naruto knew that the only ones who would believe him would be those two along with Hayate, Yugao and the Old Man. Anyone else though would think otherwise of the situation and jump to conclusions. Besides they needed Mizuki alive to explain what was happening.

As his ninken ran off to get assistance, Naruto created a few clones to watch over Mizuki to both stabilize him, and on the off chance he got a second wind. **Observe** said otherwise but one never knew when it came to ninja. With time to kill Naruto decided to 'glance' at what was inside the Scroll of Seals and decided to make a few notes on a blank scroll as quickly as possible before anyone arrived. Fifteen minutes later a crack from a branch being stepped on had the boy at the ready.

"Who's there!" Naruto asked as he prepared himself for what was to come.

"Naruto-kun?" a feminine voice rang out and into view came Hiruzen's secretary, Mariko. "Naruto do you know how much trouble you're… Oh, kami-sama!" Mariko's face contorted into one of horror as she spotted Mizuki. "Naruto, what have you done!"

Realizing what she was thinking, Naruto tried to come up with an explanation. "Mariko-neechan, it's not what you think!" he began.

"Oh, kami-sama. I didn't want to believe it. I thought they were just dealing with grief when they said it," Mariko looked hysterical and frightened as she looked at him. "But it's true. Oh, kami-sama, how could I have been so stupis to be tricked by you."

"Neechan?" Naruto wondered what she was talking about. The boy was scared that he was going to lose one of his few precious individuals.

"You really are the Kyuubi no Yoko," the nerve racked woman's words left Naruto frozen in place as he processed those words. Giving the woman enough time to move in and stab Naruto through the chest.

* * *

 **Hey guys sorry about the late update. Very important stuff got in the way such as family, me being sick like a dog, and my laptop of seven years finally passed away. Good news is I'm getting a brand new Macbook Pro this weekend on Saturday and all of my files were saved on a portable hard drive. Anyways here is the next chapter. I am not giving up on this and I will try to update on friday and saturday like I promised. However, new awesome games are coming out so I may get distracted, I am a dude after all, but I will update!**

 **Now before some of you saying the fight was not believable as Naruto owned Mizuki let me point out this. Mizuki in canon was stronger than Naruto, but he got his ass handed to him because the boy could make over a hundred clones and left the man too shocked to do anything and was left at Naruto's mercy. Even if a punch is weak getting hit all over the place by a hundred clones is still gonna hurt like hell. Also Mizuki is not a sensor, not that good of a Chunin mind you, so he didn't know Naruto was there. Coupled with him being caught off guard, Naruto's strength, his skills, and new weapon the boy was going to win. Had he drank the vial that many of you know what it is the fight would have gone way differently. Too bad for him Hotto is smart and didn't give him the opportunity.**

 **Now for shadow clones yes it is a bit underpowered compared to the manga but I am trying to keep it realistic here after all. Will Naruto be able to create a thousand clones in the future, it is possible. Just not right now as the boy has not mastered the technique. Hell Naruto didn't really master it till after the first half of the Chunin because he wasted more chakra when trying to create clones or how to use them properly.**

 **Anyway enjoy the chapter and give me tons of reviews people. (70-80). Please and thank you.**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Rank: Genin (10% EXP, Loot Increase)**

 **Level: 17 Next Level: 11739/17700**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 3700**

 **CP: 5625**

 **STR: 78**

 **VIT: 121**

 **DEX: 125 (+5) = 130**

 **INT: 171**

 **WIS: 69.5**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 55**

 **Perk:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, ?

 **Special Perks:**

 **Gamer:** Allows you to live your life like a video game. You still don't know much about it though, but who cares life is good.

 **Kyuubi no Yoko Jinchuriki:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP and Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards Reputation, ?

 **Titles:**

 **Apprentice Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu Swordsman:** +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Kenjutsu, Stealth **,** Feints and Movement Speed, +3 DEX, +2 STR per Lv

 **Grand Master Zombie Slayer:** 100% increase attack and defense against Undead, +50 towards stats when facing Undead, +50% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards reputation gain, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Description:** Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently an academy student with inspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. Due to great improvement and proper tutelage under Anko Mitarashi and Gekko Hayate, Naruto went from Dead Last to being a high middle rank student.

 **Money** : 1,120,446 Ryo ~ (112,044.60$)

 **Attribute Points: 18**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Job: Ninken (Ninja Dog)**

 **Level: 14 Next Level: 1093/12,900**

 **Reputation: Friendly (1025/3000)**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **Ninken Category: Hybrid "Guard and Tracking"**

 **HP: (800/800)**

 **CP: (625/625)**

 **STR: 26**

 **VIT: 32**

 **DEX: 41**

 **INT: 25**

 **WIS: 18**

 **LUK: 20**

 **DEF: 15**

 **Perks:**

 **Keen-Senses:** +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Ninja Dog:** Human Lifespan, Ability to Mould Chakra, Potential to speak human language

 **Komainu Lineage (Guard Dog):** +1 VIT, +1 STR per Lv, +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Biting Techniques, -10% Effectiveness and EXP towards Training and Reputation, "?"

 **Akita Lineage (Tracking Dog):** +2 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Tracking Skill, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Stealth, +10% towards Movement Speed during and outside combat

 **Special Perks:**

 **Gamer's Combat Pet:** A special perk that allows any of your combat pets the ability **Gamer's Body** , though they only earn a small amount of Attribute Points per level that you can allocate. However, this can be lost if you decide you don't want a certain pet or if your pet abandons you.

 **Titles:**

 **Master Zombie Slayer:** 80% increase attack and defense against Undead, +35 stats when facing Undead, +35% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Description:** A two old ninja dog with Komainu blood in his veins. While possessing great potential like his cousin Akamaru, Hottomaru like most Komainu pups require a good amount of discipline and can be difficult to train but are fiercely loyal and protective of their owners and partners.

 **Attribute Points: 0**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: One Step at a Time**

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN HE STOLE THE SCROLL OF SEALS!" Iruka winced as he listened to the woman. Anko's bellow was so loud he wouldn't doubt that it reached Suna one country over.

"Like I said, Naruto stole the Scroll of Seals. We have eye witnesses seeing Naruto jump from the rooftops carrying a large cylindrical object on his back," he informed the woman. "We didn't think much of it at first because we thought he was pranking someone but then ten minutes later the alarm goes off and many are being told to find him since he stole it."

Anko frowned as she processed the situation, "Umino, you and I know this isn't making any sense. Naruto's a prankster, and slow at times, but why would he want to steal the Scroll of Seals? Also, where the fuck were the Anbu to stop him in the first place?!"

Iruka's eyes widened. At the moment the man was letting his sense of duty and emotions cloud his thinking. All that mattered was getting Naruto and one of Konoha's most valuable treasures. But what Anko said made sense. The Scroll was and is one of the most valuable objects Konoha had. Naruto had improved by a great deal but even then he shouldn't have been able to get the Scroll of Seals this easily. Furthermore there was nothing to gain from stealing the object. This all lead to one thing.

"Oh, no," Iruka paled as he pieced the whole thing together. "This is a set up! A diversion. Naruto's being used as a scapegoat while the real thief's run off kami knows by now."

The Chunin considered himself a talented sensor, not the best but not the worse either, but even his sensing abilities had their limits. Luckily the amount of time he spent chasing and finding Naruto over the years during one of his pranks made it so he Iruka knew the feel of the boy's chakra signature instantly.

"We need to find Naruto before anyone else does," while some ninja would follow protocol and capture the boy the man wasn't blind or dumb enough to know that some ninja were clouded by their emotions. "Accidents" happened as some would say.

Concentrating as best he could, and widening his senses as much as possible, it took Iruka a few seconds before he managed to find a trace of Naruto's chakra, "Found a trace on his chakra signature, but we need to hurry and find him," the man said. His sensory ninjutsu had limited range but it allowed the man to find lingering chakra signatures and images of others within his range. While it wasn't perfect it also allowed him to track down others whose chakra he was familiar with.

Leaping towards the chakra signature's direction, both shinobi and kunoichi made haste to try and find the blond Uzumaki. Hoping to get there before anything bad happened to the young boy. "Gaki, you'd better be ok."

* * *

(With Naruto)

Naruto bore a look of confusion, hurt, and betrayal as the Chunin kunoichi before him stabbed his chest. Mariko herself had tears in her eyes as she wedged the kunai further into him. "This is for Mizuki, demon!" she cried.

Only for the blond to go up in a puff of white smoke.

"What!?" Mariko's eyes widened as the blond shinobi disappeared from her. The woman hardly had any time to react as she was forced to dodge a hail of kunai towards her position. So focused was she on dodging the lethal air born weaponry did she fail to notice the shadow above her.

" **Banrai** (Heavy Thunder)!" Naruto shouted as he struck at the woman. The Chunin managed to evade the full blunt of the attack but was still clipped pretty well in the shoulder.

"Ghaahhh!" the woman screamed as her shoulder had become dislocated. Her concentration wavering from the pain caused her to go poof to reveal someone other than Mariko.

"Who are you!?" Naruto demanded the woman before him.

The woman glaring hatefully at him had dark eyes and long black hair which she wore braided down her back with jaw length bangs, framing either side of her face. The woman currently wore a short-sleeved blouse, over which she wore a flak jacket and shorts and bandages around her legs.

"Tsubaki, demon!" the kunoichi snarled at him hatefully. "And you'll pay for killing Mizuki!"

Truthfully this wasn't what was supposed to happen. Through some well-placed wording and her own dislike for the Kyubi, Mizuki had convinced his lover to leave Konoha with him. Originally, Tsubaki was supposed to find Naruto and bring him in for Stealing the Scroll of Seals to give him ample time to escape. Afterwards she would meet up with him and start their new life elsewhere.

To do this Tsubaki had taken on the guise of the Hokage's secretary, one of the few people who liked the demon and one of the few that the demon trusted. The woman knew Mariko from casual acquaintances and with her own skill in mimicking others taking on her mannerisms wasn't too difficult. While Mariko was also a Chunin she was more suited for office work than field duty and Tsubaki easily subdued the woman. Taking on her guise and approaching the jinchuriki to get him to go back to Konoha however was where everything went wrong.

Of all the things she expected to find, seeing her lover dead along with a young boy was not one of them. Tsubaki was known for being a rational thinker, but now only one thought raged on in the woman's fractured mind.

Revenge.

" **Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu** (Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique)!" Tsubaki suddenly declared.

Despite being a Chunin, neither Ninjutsu or Taijutsu had ever been Tsubaki's forte and therefore her ability to use some of the more powerful and destructive techniques was out of reach. To compensate for this the woman had turned to the more subtle arts such as Tantojutsu, Genjutsu, and other skills that required more fineness than power and found her calling. Tsubaki recalled Mizuki telling how Naruto was terrible at dispelling and detecting Genjutsu and decided to use this weakness against him. The woman secretly added another layer to the technique on the off chance he did manage to somehow dispel it.

As she called out her technique, Naruto watched as the area around him contort briefly before his **Gamer's Mind** came into play and canceled out the illusion for him. The boy watched as Tsubaki ran into the woods and jumped onto a tree where she began healing her dislocated arm.

" _She thinks I'm caught in her technique,_ " the boy mentally smirked as he decided to play along. The blond jinchuriki was really loving his **Gamer's Mind** ability. While those who were twenty levels higher than him, and most powerful illusionary techniques wouldn't be stopped, **Gamer's Mind** still protected him from the psychological backlash. Naruto adopted a look of confusion and began to wander around aimlessly in the forest. All the while the boy kept an eye out on Tsubaki as she made her way towards him.

Seeing her ready her tanto and making a dash for him, Naruto waited until the last second before he sprang his counter attack. In a burst of speed that caught her off guard, Tsubaki found herself in Naruto's grip before he lashed out with a vicious kick. The woman felt the air rush out of her body as she was sent soaring into the sky.

" **Oborozukiyo** (Hazy Moon Night)!" Naruto shouted as he unleashed a flurry of slashes on the Chunin. With her only able to see the afterimage of the sword his movements were a blur and the kunoichi was unable to keep up with them. Tsubaki continued to cry out in pain, both because she had yet to recover from the attack he landed on her and as he rained blow after blow on her body.

However, the woman caught her break and she kicked outwards and threw off Naruto's momentum. But by the time she landed on the ground the woman was forced to a knee as the various cuts she had flared up. To make matters worse the woman's vision began to fog up and she felt her muscles go limp.

"You ain't going anywhere, lady," Naruto smirked as the poison, courtesy of Anko, he had coated on his sword after bringing down Mizuki, began to take hold. It was non lethal, Anko didn't doubt he'd do something accidentally stupid with it, so the woman would live but be unable to move for the next little while.

Tsubaki grunted and gritted her teeth in defiance as the poison flowed through her veins. No matter how much she tried and no matter how much she struggled to move the woman remained immobile before her vision began to dim. " _Da…Damn it!"_ were her final thoughts as she finally succumbed the to poison.

Naruto released a sigh of relief as the woman went down. Naruto idly wondered if all Chunin were this weak and easy to defeat or if this woman and Mizuki were generally weak compared to how strong Chunin were supposed to be. Then again both of their levels were nineteen and twenty-one respectively compared to Iruka's twenty-seven so Naruto was closer to their levels than Iruka's.

Taking out some wire, one that had chakra suppressing capabilities, Naruto bound the Chunin as tightly as possible. Ninja were known to escape from regular binds relatively well so Naruto wasn't taking any chances.

His **Detection Skill** kicking in, Naruto spun around as he spotted Hottomaru. Behind the ninken were Anko and Iruka but the boy didn't drop his guard.

"Gaki/Naruto!" both ninja spoke simultaneously but halted as the boy kept up his guard. Naruto looked between all three simultaneously. While **Observe** and **Detection Skill** were good, Naruto had found out from training that the skills could still be tricked by ninja who were stronger than him via **Henge** or other skills. If someone closer to his level used a **Henge** or if his **Observe** was at a very high level Naruto wouldn't be fooled.

"Naruto?" Iruka moved forward but was stopped by Anko.

"How do I know you guys are really who you say you are? Prove it!" Naruto demanded.

Before Iruka could think of something to say Anko intervened, "I showed you my breasts in your apartment a week and a half ago. You fainted and I drew magic marker penises on your face. You had to use a Henge for a few days before you finally got it off," she smirked.

"…Yeah, you're Anko alright," Naruto knew that no one else would be that blunt. Though Naruto had said Anko showed him her breasts not once did he state when or where. " _Could have left out the last part though_ ," he grimaced. Trying to get the drawings off his face had not been a walk in the park.

"You mean he was telling the truth when he said that?" Iruka had his doubts but hearing it from the horse's mouth was mind blowing. Just how lucky was Naruto? Before the thought could go any further Iruka spotted the downed form of Mizuki and his lover Tsubaki. "Naruto are they-"

The boy shook his head, much to Iruka's relief, "Nah. The crazy lady's knocked out from poison and Mizuki fainted from blood loss. They're fine… Hibachi though," Naruto began as he glanced at the deceased academy student.

Iruka could only look on in abject horror as he saw the state of one of his student. It was evident that Hibachi's death had been a painful one judging by the look in the boy's eyes and the vicious cut along his throat. Iruka's arms shook with fury as he looked at both his former comrades. Both were so vulnerable at the moment and all it would take was a single slash and they'd be dead. No one would miss the traitors, he thought.

" _But then I'd be no worse than them_ ," he realized, " _Besides, death is too good for them. Let them rot in prison for the rest of their lives after we interrogate them,_ " he thought as he moved to inspect the fallen academy student.

Anko meanwhile he spotted was checking on Tsubaki, the sweet kind woman he thought she used to be. From his standpoint Iruka saw that Naruto had done a decent job binding her. Watching as she made a few adjustments to the binding, Anko then moved on to Mizuki.

The woman whistled as she saw the jagged slash on the man's back. The cut was definitely nasty if she ever saw one. As she gave the man a look over, Anko frowned and decided to test out her suspicions. "Damn, we got a stiff over here."

"What?"

"Even with the pressure put on him to stop the bleeding the bastard here died. Body must have gone into shock from the blood loss," while the amount of blood lost judging from the wound wasn't much compared to the more severe cases Anko had seen, the amount lost had been enough for the body to go into shock nonetheless. Every case was different, and the lack of oxygenated blood flowing in the body proved too much.

"I killed him…" Iruka and Anko heard Naruto mutter.

" _Shit,"_ Anko cursed as she realized that this was Naruto's first time killing a human. Oh, certainly he had killed many zombies and creatures before but the idea of killing another human was a whole different ball of wax. Surprisingly, the woman saw her ward's face go from shock and horror to relaxed but still stunned expression.

" _Must be that ability of his kicking in. Must be nice having such a skill,_ " Anko wasn't lying as she had seen how many would be ninja let the trauma of it all impede them from ever advancing in the field.

Those who couldn't take the killing would take office or non-combat jobs or stick to doing D-Rank missions, while others would quit all together. Others weren't so lucky and Anko had seen where the trauma became too much and either broke their minds or they turned to liquor, hardcore drugs and other narcotics to deal with it. The most severe cases ended up taking their lives or worse.

"Naruto, are you alright?" Iruka asked and Anko thought him an idiot.

" _Smooth, Umino. The boy just killed someone for the first time and you ask if he's okay. Moron,_ " Anko thought the academy teacher to be a nice guy but her opinion of the man went down a bit.

"Gaki, breathe," Anko ordered her ward. "Trust me, it'll do you some good."

Watching him nod, Anko saw Naruto take in some air into his lungs, "Better?" she asked and watched as he nodded. "What are you feeling right now?"

"… Honestly, confused… I mean Mizuki-sen… Mizuki killed Hibachi and would have killed me and made off with the scroll if I didn't do anything. I didn't mean to kill him, I just wanted to stop him," Naruto said.

"Do you regret it?" she asked.

"… I don't know? I didn't like killing him but at the same time I had to stop him," Naruto answered.

"Good. If you enjoyed or felt nothing then we'd probably have a problem. Knowing you didn't like killing him proves you're still human," Anko said and then it dawned on the woman. Whether he wanted to or not, Naruto had passed The Rite.

At the mention of those words, Naruto recalled something else, "Sensei, before I fought… Tsubaki?" he recalled her named, "She said something."

"Oh? What's that?" Iruka asked and would regret doing so.

"She called me the Kyubi. She said she was an idiot for me fooling her for thinking otherwise. She called me a demon. Why?" Naruto asked.

Both seasoned ninja had mixed reactions. Iruka looked downwards and didn't know how he was going to explain the situation while Anko had a more volatile approach. Iruka noticed the look and moved in front of the unconscious woman, "Umino step away from the bitch. I don't care if I get in shit she's snake chow!" the woman snarled as she made her way towards Tsubaki. It was evident to Iruka that the purple haired woman's anger was getting the best of her. The woman had every intention of finishing Tsubaki off had he not stepped in.

"Anko, I know you're angry-" he began.

"Angry? Oh, no, Umino. I'm not angry, you've seen me angry, I'm fucking livid right now!" she raged and Iruka felt as if he was staring into the eyes of a predator; though more accurately he felt like he was looking at a mother who was protecting her offspring. "That cunt had no right to say that and you god damn mother fucking know it!"

"ANKO!" Iruka yelled to bring her back to her senses. "I get it. But now's not the time," he nodded towards Naruto and Anko immediately understood. The woman looked back at the fallen woman with a vicious scowl. Iruka swore that the amount of intensity in her look was enough to burn down an entire village if it were possible. The man assumed he'd have to restrain the woman, which would have been very difficult considered their skill gap. Thankfully she took in some deep breaths and while the tension was still there it wasn't as bad.

"Naruto, as much as I want to tell you, I can't," Anko knew that there was no point in lying. Five months back lying would have been an option. Now it wasn't. "We're going to have to see Hokage-sama about this."

* * *

 **[QUEST COMPLETE!]**

 **Fight or Die!**

 **Main Quest: Defeat Mizuki (Accomplished)**

 **Hidden Objective: Stall until back up arrives or defeat Tsubaki! (Accomplished)**

 **Second Hidden Objective: Learn skills from the Scroll of Seals! (Accomplished)**

 **Total Rewards:**

 **7500 EXP, 7 Attribute Points, 200,000 Ryo, 200,000 Ryo, and Unlocked 4 Skills!**

* * *

 **Congratulations! Your level has gone up by 1!**

Normally Naruto would have been giddy at the prospect of leveling up and getting such a number of rewards. But at the moment he paid little attention to it as he left the area with the group.

"*Whine*" he heard as Hottomaru rubbed his head against his leg. The ninken most likely felt the boy's distress and tried to cheer him up. Naruto cracked a smile as he rubbed the dog's head. "Thanks, buddy."

The boy still felt bad but didn't want his ninken's attempt to go in vain.

* * *

(Elsewhere Minutes Later)

"You're here," the boy noted the lack of the other two ninja, "Seeing has how Mizuki and his lover aren't with you it's safe to assume the plan failed," Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "Though Orochimaru-sama thought it to be a long shot anyway he won't be pleased regardless."

"Blame that disgrace of a ninja Mizuki and his lover," the informant told Orochimaru's right hand man and second in command. "I trust Orochimaru-sama's judgment but using that excuse of a ninja was a bad move," they vented.

"Will they suspect anything?" Kabuto asked.

"No, I took care of it when he didn't show up. As far as the village is concerned they'll think the jinchuriki killed him," it was a simple and basic maneuver really. Orochimaru was a master of poisons and other lethal arts after all. Secretly injecting an untraceable and odorless poison via a hidden seal was child's play for the man. The method of activating the seal having been passed on to the informant, though they also knew the man didn't do it often for two reasons.

One being he did not want it to be traced back to him somehow despite how flawless it appeared, and the other was because Orochimaru was a sadist who enjoyed toying with his prey and watch them suffer. Oh, the man knew how to kill another swiftly and before they even realized they were dead, but the man preferred to prolong the agony his prey felt.

"And the scroll?" here the informant scoffed.

"You and I both know that scroll was nothing more than a decoy," Kabuto shrugged as expected. Getting the scroll had been a long shot anyway. He knew it, the informant knew it, and even Orochimaru knew it. Though sometimes the unexpected did happen once in a blue moon.

"Konoha has become lax compared to years ago and thanks to our manipulations the newest generations are weaker and ill prepared for what's to come. But they are still one of the Great Five for a reason," the informant added.

"True," Kabuto would not dispute that fact.

As it was Konoha was currently ranked second in terms of military might among the Great Five. The village was outranked only by Kumo because they had not demilitarize like many of the other villages after the last Great Shinobi World War. One of the reasons why Kumo was stronger in terms of strength was because while Kumo used to have quality and quantity, the quality of their ninja had gone up significantly because of the new Raikage.

The man known as the **Kumo no Gekiraiju** (Wrathful Thunder Beast of Kumo), among the titles he held, had changed the overall curriculum of the academy in order to improve the next generation. The academy was tougher and only twenty five to forty percent of those who started remained till the very end.

But even then Konoha was the more popular of the Great Five. Having won more wars, battles, having four of the ten strongest clans from the Era of Warring States, and having a greater reputation than the others. Therefore the Village Hidden in the Leaves easily had much more high paying clients than Kumo did.

"What should I do now?" the informant asked.

"Your orders are to lay low and continue gathering as much information as you can. As it is, Konoha knows that an enemy informant was in the villagers thanks to the scroll," Kabuto saw the informant nod before they disappeared in a puff of white.

"How did it go?" Kabuto asked as a serpent slithered its way out of the underbrush. The black snake hissed at the medic for several minutes, each word understood thanks to his affiliation with the Snake Sannin. When the snake was done it disappeared in a puff of white and left the gray haired medic alone to his thoughts. The male frowned and was sorely disappointed that Mizuki was dead.

Not getting rid of the scroll like he was supposed to was going to cost them dearly. Were he alive the traitor of Konoha would wish he was dead when the spectacle wearing ninja was done with him. Even more so if Orochimaru decided to use him as a plaything. The only saving grace was that the scroll held nothing in it regarding the future invasion or his link to Orochimaru. Though Kabuto knew they'd be on guard and would be tightening security. The informant had dealt with Anbu quite easily because they knew their patrol routine and skill set. It had taken months to get it down and now it would be more challenging and they'd have to improvise thanks to Mizuki's blunder. Plans would have to be changed to compensate for this.

And Kabuto realized he needed to find out more about the resident jinchuriki it would seem. A few months ago the boy was a shoo-in for the title of Dead Last. Now he was a middle ranking student who somehow managed to defeat two, though albeit weak, Chunin level shinobi.

Something was up.

* * *

(Meanwhile)

Hiruzen sighed as he finished reading the scroll and hearing the tale from his surrogate grandson, "It's never a dull moment with you is it, Naruto-kun. You should consider yourself lucky. Normally a fresh out of the academy and newly appointed Genin wouldn't have lasted a second against a Chunin. Though had you not we would have lost a village treasure in the process," he smiled though it disappeared when he saw the boy's look. "You did the right thing, Naruto. Even if killing Mizuki was an accident the man would either have been executed anyway for trying to steal such a valuable artifact or be sent to the Konoha Correctional Facility like Tsubaki."

"Is what she said true, Jiji? Am I really the Kyubi?" the boy was actually scared of what the answer would be.

"No, Naruto-kun, you're not the Kyubi," he sincerely informed the boy. Naruto looked somewhat relieved but gave him a look, "You don't believe me do you?"

"Jiji," Naruto began but was stopped by the elderly Hokage.

Sighing, Hiruzen knew he had no choice. The boy was slowly putting pieces together and Hiruzen realized he was delaying the inevitable, "I wanted to tell you when you were older… but you deserve to know the truth."

"Hokage-sama," Iruka interjected but flinched as he got a scathing look from Anko and wisely kept his mouth shut.

"As you already know, twelve years ago the greatest of the Nine Tailed Beasts attacked Konoha without warning. Konoha fought this monster with all its might but it was futile and many perished that night. Knowing we were no match for the powerful demon the Yondaime chose to seal the beast inside a newborn infant. Regrettably you were that infant, Naruto. And instead of seeing you as the savior of Konoha for holding the Biju inside you like the Yondaime wanted you were seen as a monster instead."

"Why… why me, Jiji," Naruto asked.

"Honestly, I don't know, Naruto," Hiruzen hated to lie to the boy but thought it was best at the moment. "As for why they hated you, I'm afraid I'm partially to blame. I foolishly believed in Minato's words and it resulted in the village despising you instead. The people were suffering, confused, and angry and it resulted in them channeling their wayward emotions they felt towards you. Fuinjutsu is an uncommon and very abstruse skill that few know about. To them the thought of sealing a being of such vast power is inconceivable. So instead they began to think the Kyubi was changed and weakened into something else."

"Me," Naruto concluded and the boy's hand shook before he felt Anko's hand on his shoulder.

"They're ignorant idiots, gaki," Anko began, "Believe me when I say I know how you feel."

The boy merely nodded before a thought occurred, "Jiji, you said the Kyubi was the greatest of the Nine Tailed Beasts. Does that mean there are others?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Each of the Great Five Villages and Takigakure no Sato has a Biju or two of their own. All of which are either hidden or sealed inside another person called Jinchuriki. Konoha itself didn't have one as the Kyubi remained elusive and stayed away from other settlements. Why it suddenly attacked we still have no idea," Hiruzen lied once more. Only this time he did it to all three ninja before him. "Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

Hesitantly, Naruto asked one more question, "Does it get any easier, Jiji? Killing someone," Naruto asked the man.

Hiruzen released a wisp of smoke from his mouth before he answered the boy, "For some the act of killing does get easier over time and for others not so much, Naruto-kun. Believe it or not it is one of the reasons why certain shinobi are promoted to Anbu as they can stomach and turn off their emotions in order to perform the tasks other ninja cannot mentally handle."

"Speaking of the Anbu where the hell were they when the Scroll of Seals got stolen in the first place?" Anko asked her village leader. Anbu were known for two things. Being the best of the best all around and being extremely talented in a certain ninja aspect. The other was they were known as the shadows and eyes of a village and knew virtually everything that happened.

Hiruzen frowned as the woman asked him the question, "Many of our Anbu forces were either led on a wild goose chase through some very thorough and falsified missions. They were the lucky ones. Others were found dead in their homes or in discreet locations, and that's the ones accounted for. We have yet to discover where the rest of them are," Hiruzen's tone made all three subordinates tense as they felt the brief but powerful Killing Intent originating from the man.

The man known as the **Third God of Ninja** took the matter extremely serious. Not only were some of his best dead and missing but whoever did it somehow managed to pull it off under his very nose. This meant the individual was either an incredibly talented ninja or Hiruzen's skills had dulled considerably.

Ten and perhaps even five years ago this would never have happened under his watch. The event made the man known as the **Second Professor** realize that he could no longer perform his duties as Hokage to their utmost anymore. While he was not out of the count yet and still the strongest Kage currently in office because of his vast knowledge and prowess, the man was no spring chicken either. Though part of the man debated if that statement was true anymore. His reserves and prowess as a ninja were a shadow of their former selves. The man couldn't even properly perform some of his favorite and powerful techniques any longer such the **Shadow Clone Technique** without risking his health.

" _Such is the curse of age,_ " Hiruzen somewhat understood his wayward Tsunade a little better.

While the woman had physically and rapidly aged prematurely compared to others, partially thanks to large amounts of stress and other factors, she was still a descendant of the Senju and Uzumaki bloodlines. Depending on the individual, those in their sixties or seventies could still fight with the ferocity and prowess of someone in their thirties or forties because of their amazing vitality. Despite being in her fifties the woman would still be able to fight others as though she were still in her prime if she kept herself in fighting shape. Something he realized was most likely envied by his traitorous student, Orochimaru.

Hiruzen shook his head as he found himself lost in his thoughts. Something that was becoming a regular occurrence he noted, "At any rate you did very well, Naruto," the man smiled before taking out a piece of paper. The Hokage jotted down a few things before he handed it over to the boy, "Consider it a reward for completing your first B-Rank mission."

The boy's eyes threatened to pop out of his skull as he read the amount, " _Guess that explains where the money comes from… wait a minute,_ " a thought crossed his mind, "A B-Rank mission? Shouldn't getting the scroll be classified as higher?"

The man's response was to chuckle, much to the boy's confusion, "Normally, yes… had this been the real Scroll of Seals," he laughed as he saw their looks.

"I honestly hope you didn't think this was the real thing?" the man deadpanned as the three ninja looked bashful. "You did didn't you?" it was more of an accusation than a question. The man released a deep and long sigh, shaking his head all the while. The elderly Hokage honestly couldn't believe these three for thinking such a thing. He would admit that Konoha had gotten lax, something he realized would have to be corrected, but for some to think getting such a sacred treasure of Konoha would be this easy was insulting in the man's mind.

" _Guess that explains why there wasn't much in the scroll_ ," sure learning the techniques had been great additions but most of the other stuff in there were either too high levels for him to learn or downright useless. The one thing he realized they had in common, other than the techniques he learned, were they were common or slightly uncommon techniques ninja knew. " _Makes sense now that I think about it."_

Muttering under his breath, Hiruzen dismissed the three ninja from his office. With everything that happened the man knew he was going to be up to his neck with paperwork. With the new Genin starting tomorrow the man was in for a tiring day.

* * *

(Naruto's Apartment)

After seeing Iruka off, Anko took it upon herself to see her ward and his ninken get home safely. He was strong for a newly promoted Genin, capable of taking down certain Chunin, but Naruto wasn't all powerful. Even with his name cleared from stealing the Scroll of Seals others would potentially look for an excuse or feign ignorance to the order. It was an old tactic many ninja used today.

Entering the building and his place of residence, Naruto and Anko checked around and found nothing out of place. As she was ready to take her leave, Anko briefly spotted a look on the boy's face. "What is it, gaki?"

"…" the boy remained silent.

"Alright," Anko shrugged and made for the door.

"You said you knew how I felt," he began and Anko closed her eyes, "What did you mean?"

"… " Now it was Anko's turn to stay silent. The woman contemplated whether or not she should tell him the truth.

"It's ok. Forget I asked," Naruto said but was stopped by his mentor.

"No, you've earned my trust, gaki, and that ain't something I give lightly," the woman gave him a look and the message was crystal clear. Betray her trust and he'd live to regret it. "But I suppose you've earned the right to know."

"Arf!" Hottomaru barked.

"You too, Poochie-gaki," the little ninken puffed out.

Anko leaned back on a wall before she began her tale, "Well, to start we have to go back years ago. Like you I'm an orphan. I never knew my parents, doubt I ever will but I've made peace with it. Despite that I was talented compared to others three years older than me and was I taken under an apprenticeship by Orochimaru of the Sannin," here Anko adopted a look of fury and anger the likes of which neither Naruto or Hottomaru had ever seen. The woman was also subconsciously leaking a small but potent amount of Killing Intent as well.

Seeing their frightened looks, Anko eased up a bit on the scowl and reined in her anger as best she could, "Anyway, as you can imagine being taken under the wing of one of the Legendary Three Ninja came as a surprise. Orochimaru of the Sannin was one of the most powerful ninja of his time and for him to take an orphan as an apprentice was like a dream come true for anyone. He taught me everything I knew. Hell, he even let me sign the summoning contract for one of the most powerful and famous summons known. I saw the man as a father I never had… and the bastard fucking used and threw me away like yesterday's trash!"

The moment she yelled did Anko's anger come back full force and the woman lashed out. The action left a sizeable hole in the wall as her fist made impact. Hottomaru and Naruto both ducked for cover as the woman vented her frustration. It was evident the woman felt strongly about her former master.

"But that's not the worst of it," she muttered. "The worst part is that I helped him despite the village suspecting him of doing horrible deeds. I thought they were idiots and jealous of him. I thought they betrayed him when they chose the Yondaime over him. I was devoted to the man and he exploited my loyalty," here the woman moved away her hair and neck to show Naruto her mark.

"See this. This is his mark. A cursed seal of incredible dark power, and out of the ten that got it I was the only one who survived. Even then he tossed me aside. When I got back to the village almost everyone saw me as a traitor and spy. Friends I had turned their backs on me and others saw me as nothing more than trash. When I got older several saw me as a whore or slut and made advances on me, willingly or not. Sure, I don't help my case dressing like this but I like the way I look so they can go fuck themselves," Anko stopped as she realized she was getting off key.

"Anyhow to make matters worse this curse seal I have somehow hampers my skills. Guess the bastard put in an extra function on the off chance I betrayed him, but who knows. I became a Chunin at age twelve, that's pretty young. I could learn and perform techniques a hell of a lot faster than most. All that went away, the moment this seal was slapped on me. The only way I'd get access to my full power and then some is if I use the damn thing," she said chuckled darkly at the irony of it all.

"Ever thought of using it?" Naruto asked.

" **That would be unwise, Naruto-san,** " Midori butted in. " **The Cursed Seal of Heaven was said to have been Orochimaru's most powerful curse seal at the time and most likely he has improved it over the years. Anko-chan only ever used it once unwillingly and it gave her incredible power greater than most Jonin. But it comes at a price. The power is like a drug. Addictive and unforgiving in its nature** **the seal promises power at the cost of ones sanity and will. She became a berserker during her fight and could not differentiate between friend or foe. It was her first and only time she used it. Through her willpower and the aid of another sealing technique Anko suppressed the cursed seal and over time it receded. The dark power is still there but Anko no longer hears the whispers and promises of power like she used to."**

"I'm guessing removing it is a no?"

"Believe me I've tried everything to get rid of this thing but Jiraiya of the Sannin, Orochimaru's former teammate and our only resident Fuinjutsu Master, said that getting rid of this thing was beyond even him. The only person who probably had a chance to remove it was man's student the Yondaime. Even then though the man doubted even Namikaze Minato would have succeeded. With little info on this seal the man concluded that there are only three potential ways to remove it. One being I die, and fuck that. The other is Orochimaru himself removing the damn thing, or the man potentially dies too as curse seals are usually tied to the individual," either way both latter methods were not going to be easy to accomplish.

" **I myself tried to get the seal removed from her by threatening to cancel our contract with the monster. Being a descendent of Hakuja-sama and one of the more powerful summons of the clan I was one of the prime candidates to lead the clan when the previous clan leader passed away. Unfortunately, another and much stronger serpent by the name of Manda was also a prime candidate and had more favor in the clan. Part of his strength was thanks to his own skill but many suspected it had also been enhanced by Orochimaru as well. No one dared to voice it though as Manda could easily crush them,"** Midori told her part of the story. " **In the end we fought and I lost. However, I was loyal to Anko and not Orochimaru and because of my refusal to follow Manda loyally I was banished and had my power sealed. I can only momentarily regain my full strength after I did some tinkering. To add insult to injury Anko has since lost the ability to summon the more powerful serpents of my clan and can only summon the smaller, common fodder variants,"** Midori scowled.

"And that's our story, gaki," Anko informed her future Genin. "Got anything to add or say?"

"Yeah… this Orochimaru and Manda are assholes," Naruto's response made both Anko and Midori blink before they burst out laughing.

"Oh, man, I wasn't expecting that," Anko wiped away a tear. "You got balls of solid steel, gaki. But make no mistake, assholes they are but those two are strong as hell. The man was a candidate for the position of Yondaime Hokage after all. Had Minato-sama not done the deeds he did during the war or Hatake Sakumo not taken his own life, Orochimaru would have been a shoo-in for the position," she gave the boy an all-knowing look.

Naruto paled slightly. Truthfully the boy had intended to deliver some payback if he saw the man. A fact he didn't doubt cross through Anko's mind. However, hearing that he was a former candidate for Hokage pushed those thoughts aside. The blond ninja wasn't the smartest individual in the world but even he knew that Hokage candidates were incredibly powerful ninja. Naruto was humble enough to know that despite his increase in strength he was nowhere near that level of prowess. The boy didn't doubt that people in that power range were possibly between level 80s at worst or even higher and it would take him some time before he reached that level.

"Listen, gaki, if we ever come across the bastard run as fast as you can and use every trick in the book you have to get away and pray that it works," if there was one weakness she knew about the man it's that he loved toying with those weaker than him. At times he'd let his victims go as a form of mental torture while other times he'd get bored and simply end the whole thing.

"Ditto," now it was Naruto's turn to give her a knowing look. Whether or not she chose to acknowledge it was unknown. Bidding him a good night, Anko left the apartment and Naruto and Hottomaru prepared themselves for bed.

* * *

 **[QUEST COMPLETE!]**

 **Trust Earned (Anko and Midoro)**

 **Main Quest: Earn Anko and Midori's by gaining the reputation level Honoured with them. (Accomplished)**

 **Rewards:**

 **6500 EXP, +5 Attribute Points, Past Revealed, "Future Special Quest Unlocked"**

* * *

(The Next Day)

The sound of a hammer striking metal was heard as Naruto and Hottomaru entered Tetsumaru's store. Both felt the increase in temperature reach them and assumed the forge was going very strong at the moment.

"Keep hammering! That order's got to be ready by tomorrow!" the boy heard Tetsu yell as he appeared at the counter. "Sorry bout that, kid. Backed up like crazy at the moment with orders. What can I do for ya?"

"Is my order ready?" Naruto asked the muscle bound man.

"Your happuri's done, orders like that don't take very long, but your other order's gonna take a few extra days before they're finished. Would have been less but the sudden influx of work I got pushed the due date back. Sorry, kid," the man apologized as he handed the boy his happuri hitai-ate.

* * *

 **Happuri Style Konoha Hitai-ate – Common Quality**

 **Armor**

 **Durability 50/50**

 **A custom made headband with the kanji for Fire on it that is composed of a metal plate that covers the top and sides of ones face along with a band of cloth to keep it in place. Forehead protectors are worn by shinobi and are engraved with the symbol of their hidden village to demonstrate their allegiance.**

 **Defence: 25**

 **Bonus Stats** **+100 additional REP per successful mission with Konoha (must be loyal)**

* * *

Naruto smiled as he put the happuri hitai-ate on his face. Though bummed out that he wouldn't be able to wear his new armor when he got his photo for his shinobi registration the boy was happy he managed to get his forehead protector. The headband being mandatory for the photo as otherwise he'd have to wear a spare one.

As he prepared to leave a thought occurred to the blond haired boy, "Hey, Testu, quick question."

"Shoot."

"Anko told me about the various chakra metals there are and I was wondering if you knew how to make weapons out of **Elementium**?" it wasn't the most subtle ways of asking but it was one way of getting the conversation started.

"Shhhhh!" Tetsu appeared before the boy and clamped his hand on his mouth before Naruto had time to react. "Rule number one, never talk about chakra metals in my store out loud. Especially when Ten-chan is here," luckily she was out on a mission with her team but one never knew when she'd pop up. Professional as she was the man lost count of the many times Tenten went nuts over the various chakra metals and the prospects of turning them into weapons and tools. The girl was as bad as his late wife, Tenka.

"Mhmmhhpphh," Naruto mumbled into the man's large hand. Trying to pry the appendage away from his face to no avail. The boy breathed in some much needed air as the man accidentally blocked his nose as well.

"Ok… get it," Naruto gasped before he took a moment to compose himself. "But can you?"

The blond groaned as he saw the man shake his head. It had been a long shot anyway, "Sorry, kid. I'm good, the best in Konoha, but I'm not that good. Best I can do is make the finest weapons out of the purest form of regular chakra metal. Tenka said her great grandfather knew the method but the teachings were stolen and lost long ago by a rival clan. Didn't help that the old man and those who knew even a bit of the procedure were killed before they could pass it on. The clan was pretty damn thorough and only Tenka's grandfather managed to survive before he settled down in Konoha."

"Damn. You know anyone else?" he asked the man.

"Sorry, kid. The method to properly smelting the rarer chakra metals isn't exactly common knowledge. Most people kept the art a secret because of fear of being targeted. Many have tried to replicate the act but only ended in failure. The art was created and perfected by the legendary swordsmith, Gorō Nyūdō Masamune after all."

"Masamune? I though it was Muramasa who was the greatest swordsmith of all time?" Naruto stated and the man groaned.

"I'm really getting sick and tired of hearing that," had Tenten and his late wife heard that the boy would have gotten more than an earful. It was a frightening sight to see actually.

"Muramasa was a student of Masamune and a very impressive and legendary swordsmith in his own right, too. But the man couldn't hold a candle to his master. The only reason Muramasa is more well known is because some idiot historian noble got the two mixed up. So instead of wanting to look like a moron he bribed those who knew the truth to keep it a secret among other things," Naruto could believe it. In many video games he played the nobles OCs hated to be proven wrong and would go to great lengths to cover it up. Anyone who tried to say otherwise ended up "convinced" or "disappeared". Naruto guessed that it was based on real life, which was a scary thought.

"The other reason is because Muramasa was known for creating powerful demonic and evil blades that could render those who wielded them insane with bloodlust. Killing anyone, be they friend or foe, before it ultimately lead to the death of any of those who wielded his creations. Thus he was forever known as **Hyomato no** Muramasa (Murasama of the Evil Possessing Swords). Masamune's swords were the exact opposite and his method of forging swords not only offered a superior sharpness and durability but also only harmed those who the wielder viewed as an enemy. How and why this happened for either one of them I don't know. But Masamune's teachings and methods on how to forge the rarer chakra metals were coveted even beyond the highest possible level," the man explained.

"That valuable, huh?" Naruto surmised.

"Put it another way. If a person made a sword out of the purest grade **Elementium** or the other rare chakra metalsusing Masamune's method, and depending on the outcome and fame it got, you'd be able to afford buying a large mountain, maybe two, rich with gold or diamond mines and still have left over money to live a life of luxury. The only other item I recall having that kind of worth was the Shodai Hokage's Necklace," the man elaborated and the blond almost fainted upon hearing those words.

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Birth of a Legendary Weapon!**

 **Main Quest: Find the lost teachings of Masamune and get someone to forge your Elementium into a sword of your choosing**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Main Quest Completion: 2,500,000 EXP, 50 Attribute Points, +5000 Reputation Gain with Tenten, Tetsu, "Sword of your choosing", ?, ?**

 **Hidden Objective Completion: ?**

 **Failure: +100,000 EXP, Unable to use Elementium Ore**

 **Accept (YES/NO)**

* * *

" _HOLY FUCK!_ " Naruto realized he hit upon a potential jackpot. He already had one part of the quest completed with the ore in his possession. Sure Anko said it was rare and extremely valuable but not to this extent. Accepting the quest, he'd be a fool not to, Naruto made his way towards the Hokage building to take his photo.

* * *

(Sometime Later)

" _Ughh, when is it gonna start already,_ " Naruto whined as he waited for Iruka. The past few hours had been interesting to say the least. Having met and unwillingly gained a subordinate in Sarutobi Konohamaru. " _What kind a person decides they wanna become your underling after you hit them on the head?"_ personally Naruto thought the Old Man's grandson had a few screws loose but either way he had gained an underling and managed to mess with that closet pervert of a teacher, Ebisu. The kid was a decent person he guessed and it could have been worse.

However, when that had been done he was stuck waiting in class. Unfortunately, waiting had never been one of Naruto's fortes despite patience being pounded into his head by his teachers. The blond haired ninja considered what was currently happening, or lack thereof, a waste of time.

" _Wonder who I'm being teamed up with?_ " he idly wondered. The boy's face took a sour turn as he didn't see Hibachi or his friends. Hibachi he knew had failed but some of the others had passed the Graduation Exam. The blond guessed that they were either excused for the day or they dropped out after hearing Hibachi's death. Before he could begin looking around some more, the blond and the rest of the class saw the classroom door open.

"Greetings, everyone!" Iruka began quieting the room down. "As some of you may have heard a former student of ours was killed the other night by Mizuki-sensei. Normally I wouldn't be saying this on such a joyous occasion but it's best you know of it now. Vigilance is what makes a shinobi. To be aware of the dangers and potential dangers that may occur. Without it a shinobi is nothing more than an ordinary individual or dead. I implore each and every one of you to be vigilant. I don't wish to hear that another one of my students is dead for lack of foresight. Now before we begin I'd like us all to bow our heads in silence for Hibachi."

As the man began, Naruto silently gauged the reaction of everyone in the room. Many were taking the news of Hibachi's passing, and by the hands of one of their own teachers, with various effect. Some looked pale as snow, others looked frightened and ready to piss themselves, and others were more worried. Naruto saw that those from purely civilian background were taking it hard the most while those from a clan or with shinobi family members took it better.

"Alright, then. Let's begin," Iruka ended the minute of silence as she began listing off the teams. A couple minutes had passed before the man finally announced a name he knew, "Team Seven will consist of Uchiha Sasuke, Inuzuka Kiba, and Haruno Sakura" Naruto heard Kiba groan and the thud as his head made contact with the desk. Sakura as expected cheered and announced, 'True love conquers all!' much to the displeasure of Ino and the other fangirls, "All three of you will be taught by Hatake Kakashi."

Naruto's face furrowed slightly as he recalled the name 'Hatake', " _Can he be related to that Sakumo guy Anko mentioned?_ "

"Team Eight will consist of Yamanka Ino, Hyuga Hinata, and Uzumaki Naruto. Your sensei will Mitarashi Anko," Ino groaned upon hearing that. The blond girl had nothing against Hinata as she wasn't interested in Sasuke but the Yamanaka heiress was hoping to be on a team with Sasuke. Sure Naruto had gotten better and wasn't Dead Last but he was still an idiot in her books. Part of her was also surprised she hadn't been placed with Chouji and Shikamaru considering their family history and how much their fathers pushed them to socialize. Either way it was no skin off her nose.

Hinata on the other hand had a different reaction, " _I'm on Naruto-kun's team!"_ the thought of it made her face go supernova as she finally processing those words. The indigo haired Hyuga nearly fainted had she not willed herself not to. Even then it was pretty close.

"Hotto," Naruto began, "I don't know if I should be happy or scared."

On one hand he had Anko as a teacher and two teammates he could get along fine with over time, which was awesome. The only problem was if he excluded Hotto then it meant he was outnumbered three to one on the female to male ration. "This is either really good or really bad," to some being a part of a team of one male and three females was a dream come true. Naruto knew it for what it was. His opinion wouldn't matter if all three girls banded together.

"Hey, what the hell, Iruka-sensei!" Kiba shouted and ignored the man's chastising, "Why's the dobe get to be on a team with chicks and I'm not!?"

"The teams are assigned based on balancing of strength and critical thinking, Kiba. For instance it is common practice for the Dead Last and the Rookie of the Year to be placed on the same team," the man sent the boy a look and the majority of the class laughed as they realized what he was implying. "Moving on, Team Nine is still in circulation from last year so Team Ten will consist of Shikamaru Nara, Akimichi Chouji, and Aburame Shino under Sarutobi Asuma," the man finished announcing the teams.

"I wish you all luck with your future teams and as ninja. Your sensei will be here after lunch so-"

 ***CRASH!** *

Iruka and the class had little time to react as a window suddenly shattered in a shower of broken glass and wooden frame bits. The man suddenly appeared battle ready, drawing out a kunai and prepared for what was to come. However, the instructor nearly face faulted as a banner began to unfold, and out popped the vivacious Mitarashi Anko.

"Hello, everybody! The Incredibly Hot and Sexy Mitarashi Anko has arrived," Anko cheered as she took a bow in front of the stunned class.

"Of course," Naruto and Hottomaru groaned at Anko's antics. However, the blond shinobi silently admitted that the entrance was kinda badass and made a note to ask for some pointers.

"Team Eight, you guys have ten minutes to get your cute little asses at Training Area Nine! Team Seven … you guys take an extra long lunch. Trust me, you're gonna be here a while. Laters!" the woman announced and then disappeared into a puff of white. Leaving behind a flabbergasted classroom.

"Ok, I thought she was nuts when I saw her crash the tourney a few months ago but she's like a female version of Naruto!" Ino voiced her opinion and many couldn't help but agree.

"Hey, I'm not that bad!" all the boy got was silence and blank stares, "Besides you'd better get use to it since we're on the same team," Ino groaned as she felt a headache coming on. "Oh, and FYI what happened is pretty tame compared to what she usually does," Naruto shuddered as he and his partner made their way out of the classroom. Hinata followed after her crush and teammate. Ino, however; groaned even more.

" _Forget the headache, I'm gonna be having a fucking migraine during this ordeal,_ " the blond Yamanaka weeped and had no idea how much her world was about to be flipped upside down. Neither did her other female teammate.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Rank: Genin (10% EXP, Loot Increase)**

 **Level: 18 Next Level: 8039/19400**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 3900**

 **CP: 5950**

 **STR: 80**

 **VIT: 127**

 **DEX: 131**

 **INT: 181**

 **WIS: 69.5**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 80**

 **Perk:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, ?

 **Special Perks:**

 **Gamer:** Allows you to live your life like a video game. You still don't know much about it though, but who cares life is good.

 **Kyubi Jinchuriki:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP and Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards Reputation, ?

 **Titles:**

 **Apprentice Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu Swordsman:** +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Kenjutsu, Stealth **,** Feints and Movement Speed, +3 DEX, +2 STR per Lv

 **Grand Master Zombie Slayer:** 100% increase attack and defense against Undead, +50 towards stats when facing Undead, +50% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards reputation gain, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Description:** Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently a Genin with aspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. Due to great improvement and proper tutelage under Anko Mitarashi and Gekko Hayate, Naruto went from Dead Last to being a high middle rank student. Recently he has discovered that he is the jinchuriki of the Kyubi no Yoko, and the reason why he has the animosity of many.

 **Money** : 1,320,446 Ryo ~ (132,044.60$)

 **Attribute Points: 30**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Job: Ninken (Ninja Dog)**

 **Level: 14 Next Level: 7593/12,900**

 **Reputation: Friendly (2025/3000)**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **Ninken Category: Hybrid "Guard and Tracking"**

 **HP: (800/800)**

 **CP: (625/625)**

 **STR: 26**

 **VIT: 32**

 **DEX: 41**

 **INT: 25**

 **WIS: 18**

 **LUK: 20**

 **DEF: 15**

 **Perks:**

 **Keen-Senses:** +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Ninja Dog:** Human Lifespan, Ability to Mould Chakra, Potential to speak human language

 **Komainu Lineage (Guard Dog):** +1 VIT, +1 STR per Lv, +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Biting Techniques, -10% Effectiveness and EXP towards Training and Reputation, "?"

 **Akita Lineage (Tracking Dog):** +2 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Tracking Skill, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Stealth, +10% towards Movement Speed during and outside combat

 **Special Perks:**

 **Gamer's Combat Pet:** A special perk that allows any of your combat pets the ability **Gamer's Body** , though they only earn a small amount of Attribute Points per level that you can allocate. However, this can be lost if you decide you don't want a certain pet or if your pet abandons you.

 **Titles:**

 **Master Zombie Slayer:** 80% increase attack and defense against Undead, +35 stats when facing Undead, +35% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Description:** A two year old ninja dog with Komainu blood in his veins. While possessing great potential like his cousin Akamaru, Hottomaru like most Komainu pups require a good amount of discipline and can be difficult to train but are fiercely loyal and protective of their owners and partners.

 **Attribute Points: 5**

* * *

 **Here it is guys. Canon starts now, with a few twists from yours truly. Anyway to answer some questions as to why Naruto didn't learn a shit ton of awesome techniques from the Scroll of Seals. Well it's pretty self explanatory since it's a fake with techniques he could not learn via not having the right criteria or they were useless. Why bother learning a bunch of techniques when you're not gonna use them. It's a waste of time. Let's not forget that Naruto has yet to discover the Kage Bunshin training method so it will take a lot longer to master each of them. He will uncover it but not yet, but he will before the time skip I assure you.**

 **Anyway much more action next chapter. Give me tons of reviews, 80-90, and I assure you next Friday or Saturday you'll have a nice chapter to read.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Welcome to the Life of a Genin**

Naruto, Hottomaru, Ino and Hinata, recently known as Team Eight, made their way towards the training grounds at varying speeds. Naruto and his ninken partner were making record time and would easily be the first two there. Hinata wasn't too far behind the two males and moved at a decent pace, while Ino was last despite her decent speed.

All four of them arrived at the training ground with a decent amount of time to spare. But none of them spotting their new Jonin instructor, "She said to get here in ten minutes and she's not even here," Ino frowned a the hypocrisy of it. "Some sensei she is."

"Ano, Ino-chan, you shouldn't take about Anko-sensei like that," the young girl stuttered.

"Hinata's right," Naruto's agreement made Hinata blush, "Anko may be nuttier than a bat out of hell, but being lazy is something she ain't. Hell, I was honestly … Oh, shit! Duck and cover!" Naruto suddenly yelled and both he and Hottomaru took cover behind a tree.

Ino and Hinata were still surprised by the sudden outburst and had little time to react before a hail of kunai and shuriken made their way towards them. Both newly graduated female Genin dodged and swerve out of the deadly projectiles incoming path as best as they could. Hinata with her clan's training and greater perception managed to dodge most of the air born weapons with relative ease, though the Hyuga felt her clothes being cut in a few places as well.

Ino, while not coming from a taijutsu oriented clan, had natural grace and reflexes that most girls in the academy sorely lacked. The Yamanaka heiress bopped, weaved, and even back flipped under the kunai and shuriken thrown at her. The way she moved made it look almost like a dance. Despite this advantage her reaction time was off a few times and Ino felt her clothes and hair being cut.

The flurry of weapons continued for a little over a minute before it finally ended. When it did, both Ino and Hinata stood battle ready with a few cuts but no worse for wear. "Not bad, not great but not bad."

Anko suddenly appeared between the two female Genin and both visibly relaxed…which soon proved to be their big mistake. Ino and Hinata immediately found themselves wrapped and bound by serpents of various size and color. The two struggled and wiggled as best they could to escape from the confines of the coiling serpents but had no such luck. Each struggling movement they performed actually felt as though was being tightened by Anko's minor familiars.

"Rule number one, girls; ninja play dirty. Remember what I said how ninja can easily stab you in the back if you let your guard down?" Anko chastised before looking for her senior student. "Gaki, Poochie-gaki, you pussies, get out here!" she ordered.

"Hell no!" was the reply. "I'm not falling for that trick!"

"Arf!" agreed wholeheartedly.

" _Damn! I taught those two too well,_ " Anko cursed. Realizing she wouldn't be able to have more fun at the moment, Anko sighed before she released Ino and Hinata. Upon seeing this Naruto and Hottomaru finally made themselves known but it was evident by their body language that they were keeping their guard up. A wise decision really.

"Anyway, not bad kiddos… however, you three still have a way to go. I'm gonna push, I'm gonna break ya. And I'm gonna make ya puke your guts out. Frap your body till your bones hurt. When you squeal, I'm just gonna go faster and harder, till finally you're moulded into proper kick ass ninja," her grin sent shivers that each and every one of their backs.

Because of their time with the woman, both males were used to it but even then the act made them cringe and flinch back with fear. Ino and Hinata, however; paled considerably to an unknown degree. The two had seen a side of the woman months ago and thought she was strict. Both just now realized that it was only a part of her personality.

"Assuming you pass the test of course," she shrugged much to their confusion.

"Huh?" all three Genin wondered what she was talking about.

"Oh, didn't I say," her tone resonating with sweet and fake innocent, "The exam was only to help determine who had the potential to become Genin and weed out the rest. In order for you to become true Genin you all need to pass your teacher's test. And FYI out of all the academy graduates, only thirty three percent of the teams have a chance of passing the test."

"What happens if we fail?" Ino asked.

"Several options. If your skills are good enough you may get taking as someone's apprentice, but that's rare and only if you're lucky enough. The other is the team is split but some of you have enough of the right skill and mindset and are put in the reserve until a spot becomes available. At which time all you'll be able to do is D-Rank missions for the next several months or so. And finally, and this is the most common, you fail, lose your headband and Genin title and go back to the academy for another year," was her answer to the gaping blonde.

"Oh, fuck me," Naruto cursed at the unfairness of it all. All that hard work and there was a chance that he'd have to wait a while.

"Are you kidding me!" Ino yelled, "That's bull crap!"

"Tough shit, blondie. That's the world we live in," Anko didn't care if wasn't fair. Ninja didn't really do fair and the sooner they acknowledged that the better. "Now I suppose you all want to rest before taking the test?" she asked but Naruto knew better. "Well, too bloody bad for you. The test starts now, kiddies."

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Hide and Seek: True Genin Exam**

 **Main Quest: Pass Anko's Test to earn your right as a Genin**

 **Potential Rewards**

 **Main Quest Completion: 2000 Exp, keep your title as a Genin**

 **Failure: 250 Exp, potentially lose you title as a Genin and return to the academy**

 **Quest is Mandatory**

* * *

"Now the test is simple, we're gonna play hide and seek," Anko said and though both Hinata and Ino thought it didn't think it wasn't that bad Naruto knew it was nowhere as simple as it sounded.

"Fuck," both female teammates looked at Naruto, "I've played hide and seek with her before. It's only gonna be fun for Anko and Midori."

"Midori?" both girls asked before they saw the head of a snake popping out from Anko's clothes. " _Where the hell was she keeping that thing?_ " Ino wondered.

" **Someone call me?"** the green serpent slithered out from Anko's trench coat.

"It… it talks," a wide eye Hinata stammered, an act that was mimicked by Ino.

"Oh, right, ignorance," Anko recalled how the academy students had not been taught about summons. "Yes, the snake can talk and her name is Midori. Midori, Ino and Hinata. Ino and Hinata, Midori," she introduced the three to one another.

" **Greetings, Ino-san, Hinata-san,** " Midori bowed to the two-stunned Genin. " **Naruto-san, nice to see you again."**

"Arf!"

" **And you too, dinner,"** Midori smirked as she saw Hottomaru cower behind Naruto. Whereas Naruto had a healthy fear of Anko, Hottomaru had a healthy fear of Midori. Especially since Midori could easily swallow the young ninken under a second if she chose to.

"Now that that's done, here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna hide and you three will seek me out. You have about two hours to do so. If the time passes and I've yet to be found, you fail," the woman produced an alarm clock and set it to go off in two hours.

"Wait two hours?" Ino cocked an eyebrow at the absurdity of it all. "No sweat," sure Anko was a Jonin but half that time was plenty enough to locate her in the blonde's mind.

"Oh, that's not all, blondie," Anko's grin came back full force.

" _Nice going, Ino,_ " Naruto knew the torture was about to begin.

"To make things a little fair I won't be moving from my spot. However, I will defend myself and Midori will also be there to defend me. Know what that means?" the woman looked at Hinata for the answer.

"Ano, it ... it that means that not only do we need to find you but use all strength to tag you as well?" Hinata slowly answered.

" _Her clan really did a number on her,_ " much like Naruto Anko knew she'd have her work cut out for her with Hinata. " _At the least she's smarter than the gaki. Girl probably has brains on things she doesn't even realize about._ "

"Correct, good job," she smiled and the girl blushed at the praise, "If you wanna tag me you're gonna need to come at me with the intent to kill. Trust me, you wont get anywhere near me without doing this."

"Won't you get hurt, sensei?" Hinata asked.

"Though sweet of you to ask it's kinda insulting, too. I just got promoted to Jonin but the power and skill difference between my rank and yours is pretty damn big. When I say come at me with the intent to kill, I mean go all out and use everything you've got to try and tag me. If you don't you might as well go back to the academy," Anko informed them. "Oh, and one last thing. Only the first two of you who tag me get to become Genin and stay on my team. The other one is sent back and gets to listen to Umino's lectures for another year."

"What!" Ino and Naruto yelled while Hinata became as stiff as a tree.

"Ready, set, go!" Anko laughed before she and Midori subsequently disappeared and all that was left in their wake was a white cloud of smoke. All three Genin were left momentarily stunned by Anko's sudden proclamation before they split up and began to track their teacher.

"Wonder how they'll do?" Anko smirked before she began to relax and wait for her students to find her. It would be quite some time before they did.

All three were using different methods of locating the woman. " _Damn it. Where the hell is she?_ " Ino cursed before she moved on to another location. Ino came from a clan that was quite adept in the use of sensory ninjutsu and was using it to her best ability to locate Anko. The only problem was that Ino had not concentrated as much on her clan techniques as she should have and was now paying for her lack of skill in sensing others.

Hinata wasn't fairing any better either. While the Byakugan was known and feared throughout the Elemental Countries for its ability to see at far off distances, the vital chakra points, and see through virtually everything, the eye was only as good as the one who used it. Compared to the other clan members of the Main Family her age, Hinata was only capable of seeing forty meters all around her compared to the usually hundred. Her only saving grace was her ability to see even further than most in a singular direction. " _I can't fail,"_ Hinata frantically searched for the location of her teacher. She had come so far, having been teamed up with the one she admired the most even, and Hinata did not to have it all end prematurely or in disappointment.

While the two kunoichi of his team searched for Anko, Naruto opted a more practical approach, "You find her scent yet, Hotto?" Naruto asked his partner. The two had been looking for the woman for a good ten minutes now and neither one had any luck finding a trace, clue or scent of where Anko could be.

"Arfff," Hottomaru whined in response. Naruto frowned as he saw his partner become dejected at the fact that he couldn't get a scent on the woman.

"No prob, buddy. She's probably covering up her scent somehow," the boy frowned as he recalled the humiliation both he and Hottomaru faced some months back thanks to that. " _Never did get the chance to give her some payback. Maybe- Gah! No, focus!_ " Naruto chastised himself as his mind wondered off. Right now he needed to concentrate on locating Anko. He'd be damned as hell if he went back to the academy after everything he did and accomplished so far.

"Ok, then can try and find … I know you're there, Ino," Naruto announced, his **Detection Skill** coming into play. The only way around it was if her stealth was greater than his ability or if she had a technique that hid her.

" _The hell? How'd he knew,_ " certainly Naruto had gotten better in the last four-five months but to be able to know she was there had not crossed the Yamanaka heiress's mind. " _Fuck, plan B._ "

"Guess I underestimated you," Ino identified herself and began walking towards him in an attractive manner. "So, Naruto-kun what say you and I-"

"Yeah, that little routine worked on Kiba because he's a horn dog but when you're tutored by Anko for a few months you get used to that shit," Naruto deadpanned, his words making Ino miss a step and become despondent that her seduction attempt failed.

"Ah, shit," Ino groaned and decided to cut the crap. Naruto wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but he wasn't a total idiot either, "Alright, fine. I'll level with you, Naruto. We both know that only two of us will be a part of a team. The way I see it, you and I team up and try to find Anko-sensei before this ends. You win, I win, it's a win-win situation where everyone goes home happy."

"Yeah… everyone except Hinata of course," Naruto glared and Ino wince slightly.

"Hey, I got nothing against Hinata," Ino was being honest as she said that. "But like it or not Anko-sensei said she'd only take two of us and I for one am not going back to academy! Ninja are supposed to take advantage of whatever opportunities present themselves."

Naruto frowned once more. Only this time it was in regards to the current situation. Anko, and Hayate had told Naruto about teams with only a Jonin and a Genin and that was due to apprenticeships. The only time a team ever had two Genin and one Jounin was when one of them was either sick or KIA. As began putting the pieces together, Ino became annoyed, "Fine, whatever. I'll do this by myself."

"What? Wait, Ino!" he called out but the girl had already left, "Damn it. Hotto, can you find Hinata?"

"Arf!" the playful bark confirmed that he could and both of them made their direction towards their Hyuga teammate.

Twenty minutes later, and having little luck finding her teacher, Ino opted a different tactic and scouted the area from above. Her mind taking over the body of a hawk to which she then soared high into the sky to get a better view of the landscape. Ino scoured the land as best as she could, still getting used to the whole eye sight feature the raptor had, before she finally hit pay dirt.

" _Found ya,"_ Ino declared as she returned her mind to her body. When she was about to head out, Ino found herself bound to a tree. "What the hell?" she struggled before she heard a grunt in front of her. "Oh, you bastard," Ino growled as she spotted her teammates. Ino knew that Hinata was too sweet to do something like this so she directed her attention towards Naruto. "When I get out of this I'm gonna-"

"Yeah, I'm gonna need you to listen," Naruto said and unfurled some duct tape.

"Don't you even –" Ino didn't get the chance to finish as Naruto promptly taped her mouth shut. The Yamanaka heiress glared hatefully at the boy and if looks could kill he'd be dead ten times over.

"Now then, there are two options before you. One, Hinata and I leave you here, bound, gagged and pissed off as hell, while we try and land a blow on Anko-sensei and pass. Or two, you can listen to what I have to say and we all pass. Choice is yours, but if you have any plans of escaping I'm letting you know now that wire is designed to suppress your chakra."

" _Shit,_ " Ino slumped. There went that idea. Having no other choice, Ino was forced to go with number two and listened.

* * *

 **(Sometime Later)**

"Fifty nine minutes and counting," Anko frowned. Maybe she overestimated the three of them. Oh, sure Naruto had potential and if push came to shove she'd take him as an apprentice. Talent such as that shouldn't be wasted in her mind just because the other two didn't want to work as a team or knew how to find her. " _Then again there's still time left so…Ah, here we go._ "

Rising up from her position, Anko spotted Naruto, Hottomaru and Hinata. " _At least two of them are willing to work alongside each other,_ " unfortunately all three needed to work together to pass. As it was Anko would be taking an apprentice while she'd recommend Hinata be put into the reserve. Ino would be going back to the academy it seemed.

" _Shame, really. Inoichi's kid had potential, too,_ "Anko thought before focusing on the task at hand. "Took you two long enough. If it takes you this long to find my then how long do you think it will take to touch me?"

Naruto's only response was to make some Shadow Clones and then blare through some hand seals as they threw several shuriken towards her, " **Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique)!"

Soon the shuriken multiplied from seven to seventy and all them sailed through the air towards their intended victim. The clones didn't stop there as Naruto followed up with another technique, " **Futon:** **Dai Reppusho no Jutsu** (Wind Release: Great Gale Palm)!"

"Woah, shit!" Anko's eyes widened as the weapons gained a considerable boost in speed. The woman soon found herself protected by a coiling and enlarged Midori. However, while some bounced off her skin, the speed and power from the technique forced a considerable amount to pierce into the serpent. She was nowhere in immediate danger but the weapons would slow her down. The snake would be forced to remove the weapons before she moved as it would otherwise rip her skin.

"Damn it, gaki! When I said come at me with the intent to kill and I didn't mean you should actually kill me!" Anko considered herself fast but the effective and unexpected combination was too much even for her speed. The woman thought herself lucky really as she recalled how Hiruzen was able to make a thousand shuriken clones out of a single shuriken. Anko wasn't blind and knew Naruto would have probably take a peak at the pseudo Scroll of Seals during last night's incident. She would have too really. It was obvious that the boy had learned a few new tricks, but had yet to master this one to the same extent as Hiruzen's.

" _Alright, you wanna play rough. Let's play rough,_ "Anko had originally wanted to give them a sporting chance but the kiddy gloves were about to come off.

Anko blurred through some hand seals before she finally unleashed her technique, " **Sen'ei Tajashu** (Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)!" a large myriad of serpents of various sizes and colour burst forth from the woman's sleeves as they made their way towards Naruto and Hinata.

The lesser serpents all bared their fangs at the two Genin in intimidation and Anko smirked as she saw them falter a bit. While the technique was a bit overkill, the woman willed the snakes to merely bind them instead of sinking their fangs into their vulnerable bodies. Naruto made a valiant effort to block the snakes by repeating his previous technique combination but the snakes were too great in number and both found themselves bound by the familiars.

Right before they blew up.

"What! **Bunshin Daibakuha** (Clone Great Explosion)! He learned that, too!" a wide eyed Anko was not expecting that move and watched the gore, blood, and brain matter of the lesser serpents fly in every which direction. Anko would have been mad had it been a summon like Midori but these canon fodder serpents operated more so like their lesser common kin.

As Midori was about to finish ridding herself of the last weapon, the great snake spotted Hinata accurately throwing several kunai and shuriken. With her Byakugan the serpent had no doubt that she was aiming at the more sensitive areas on Midori's giant form. The girl was wise not to get in close and personal but Midori was starting to get irritated as the girl continued to rain shot after shot on her.

Having enough of this, Midori was about to strike but soon found herself enveloped in an oh so familiar red cloud before her senses were set aflame with agony, " **Naruto!"** Midori wailed as the boy's Chilly Pepper Bomb's effects took hold and she became incapacitated. " ** _Those two are going to pay dearly for this!_** **"**

"Midori!" Anko shouted at with worry but focused her attention once more as Naruto appeared via **Shunshin** and drew his sword in one smooth motion. To someone else the action would have seemed dangerous and looked as though he teleported. But to Anko's superior reflexes and speed the boy had might as well have been moving at a joggers pace.

Anko blocked the sword strike with a kunai and side stepped out of the boy's way. The woman then proceeded to charge in close and slugged the blond hard in the face. Naruto grunted as the blow landed and was sent tumbling behind Anko. Hinata moved in to land some well placed Juken strikes of her own and while cautious the woman batted the girl's arms away from her.

Striking out with the speed of a cobra, Hinata gasped and was sent tumbling back. Anko then set her eyes on Naruto and prepared to move in to dish out a little more pay back before she was forced to dodge the large form of Hottomaru. The muscular canine growled and swiped at her as well as trying to bite her with he's flame covered maw. Sending some serpents at him, which were only reduced to mince meat, Anko tossed a smoke bomb and backflipped away from the canine.

Up landing however she found her body had frozen up on her. " _What the hell?!_ " Anko had no idea what was going on. She wasn't nicked so it could not have been poison. Even then years with Orochimaru and getting her body to adapt to various poisons had left her immune to many of them. _"_ _ **Shintenshin no Jutsu**_ _(Mind Body Switch Technique) success!_ " Anko suddenly heard in her mind.

" _Oh, you're fucking kidding me!_ " no one would let her live it down if they found out about this and Anko cursed herself for underestimating them. The woman wasn't going out without a fight though.

"Guys, she's fight back," Ino-Anko grunted as her hold on the body began to wane quickly. "Get a move on!"

While a thrashing Anko was trapped inside her body, Ino-Anko slapped herself, the girl wincing lightly as the blow landed. The possessed woman was soon struck by Hinata and Naruto as both landed a quick blow on her as well before she was forced to retreat back into her body. Anko's will was very strong and the young heiress knew with how much she was struggling she could only hold on for so long before the woman's will finally overpowered her own. The Yamanaka heiress had to hand it to Naruto, the boy had a decent mind when it came to misdirection. The latter end of it though.

* * *

" _And that's the plan," Naruto said._

" _Ok, not as good as Shika's but not bad, Naruto. But you're forgetting one thing. Snakes see via thermal radiation. My body heat will give away my position. How the hell am I gonna hide from that?" Ino would soon regret asking_

 _Naruto's only answer was to grin as he pointed towards a mud pit._

" _Oh, there's no way in hell I'm going in there," Ino was against the idea. But with her body still bound and with Hinata to help him the Gossip Queen soon found herself covered in wet dirt and other substances._

* * *

"Well, shit," Anko cocked a smile. Truthfully she would have passed them even if they didn't manage to land a blow on her. The whole concept had been to see if they were willing to thinking clearing and work together as a team should. She certainly had not expected that combo of theirs. As she was about to congratulate them, Anko realized Ino was caked in mud and began to laugh.

"So do we pass?" Naruto asked their instructor, a cocky grin plastered on his smug face.

"Yeah, you pass kiddoes," Anko would admit she was impressed. "But wipe that smirk off your face, gaki. We both know if I'd been serious from the get go you three would be in a whole world of hurt and had gotten nowhere near to hitting me."

"Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that," Naruto's response got both of his teammates to chuckle and giggle.

* * *

 **[QUEST COMPLETE!]**

 **Hide and Seek: True Genin Exam**

 **Main Quest: Pass Anko's Test to earn your right as a Genin (ACCOMPLISHED)**

 **Total Rewards**

 **2000 Exp, Keep your title as a Genin**

* * *

"Little shit," Anko humphed half-heartedly.

" **Naruto! Hinata!"** a rage filled voice rang through the clearing and both Genin stiffened.

"Oh, but you two get to deal with Midori first when she gets back from the river," Anko grinned as the two Genin paled. Revenge was sweet it seemed. Pushing such thoughts aside, the woman glanced upwards at the sky. From the sun's position, Anko determined they had a decent enough daylight left for her plans.

"Well, we got some time to kill. The day's already half gone so we don't start missions till tomorrow," Anko and Naruto mentally groaned. Neither one were looking forward to them. "So instead we're gonna be doing a little training to see where your weaknesses and strengths are at. You got ten minutes to catch your breath before the fun begins."

" _Why I'm I getting that feeling again,_ " a still mud covered Ino wondered why she suddenly felt uneasy. Her gut was telling her to run away as fast as she could. But Ino's mind knew that it wouldn't be so simple or successful. Anko and her familiar were fast. Ino would be lucky to make it a few meters away before she was caught.

" _Oh, well. At least we start missions tomorrow,_ " the blonde smiled and idly wondered what her first mission as a Genin would be like. She knew it wouldn't be something dangerous as they were first starting out but the Yamanaka hoped it would at least be something dignified and worthy of the rank of Genin.

* * *

 **(Two Weeks Later)**

" _This fucking blows!"_ Ino mentally shouted as she continued on with the mission of the day. Not only were her arms still sore and tender from the other day's torture session her teacher had called training, much like the other days for the past two weeks, but she and her team were currently painting the house of another. And they were using a paint that Ino thought clashed with the house's appearance.

While Ino had never been the most physically gifted student, not that she would freely admit that, she was slightly better than most at the academy. However, Anko stated she had a while to go before she deemed her stamina and taijutsu as acceptable. And Anko's standards and definition on what was deemed acceptable were different than the average Jonin instructor.

Ino recalled how two weeks ago when she limped on home the moment she was done her training session for the day. Just as soon as she entered her clan home was the young blonde Yamanaka greeted by her father, Inoichi. Ino loved Inoichi as any child would their parent but found the man a tad overbearing at times as he constantly fawned over her well being and made a point to let him know. " _Guess that's why he laughed when I talked about missions,_ " she recalled how her father tried, and failed, to stifle a laugh when it came to her mission expectations. Her mother on the other hand merely smiled and didn't say a word but knew the woman was laughing inwardly.

Being from a ninja clan that had been a part of Konoha since its founding Ino knew that Genin would do D-Rank missions for the first little while before their teachers felt they were ready to take on more demanding tasks. But even she didn't think it was going to be this bad. At the moment they had completed around fifteen D-Rank missions together, sixteen after this was done, and all of them sucked in Ino's mind. Some like weeding gardens and picking up groceries and supplies for the elderly she could tolerate as she did similar tasks for her family's floristry and apothecary.

Others such as babysitting whiny children, cleaning in and out of houses, or cleaning the Inuzuka kennels were not the kind of missions the girl tolerated. The Yamanaka knew both her teammates were just as peeved as she was when it came to these kind of missions. Naruto being the more vocal of them and while Hinata remained silent Ino could read the girl's facial expressions and knew she did not find these sort of missions thrilling either.

The only saving grace was that Naruto knew some solid clone technique so the process was taking less time than it would have normally taken them. If all went well they'd be done much earlier than originally anticipated and then it would be training time.

" _Oh, kami,_ " Ino wanted to cry as the thought popped into her head.

So far Anko had gotten an effective schedule for them. The schedule varied but the most occurring one was they'd get up early in the morning and do some light training to get their blood pumping. Afterwards they'd go to the Hokage Tower to get their pick of a mission. Then they'd do some more training for a few hours or so, break for lunch, and sometimes do another mission in the afternoon followed by some more training. It was boring and repetitive but Anko said that it's what was expected of the ninja lifestyle.

Training as Anko liked to call it was hell for all of them, less so for Naruto and his ninken as they were familiar and used to them, but hell still. For Ino and Hinata Anko was currently focusing on their physical endurance, strength, and speed and their control over their chakra. The woman also taught them a few other little tricks she thought would be well suited for them as well. Anko did this because while their clan techniques were good and all, a shinobi needed to branch if they were to survive.

To do this Anko had them do as many physically demanded exercise sets, both common and unique, and demanded them to meet them or last for a certain time. Common exercises ranged from Anko throwing kunai and shuriken projectiles at either Ino and Hinata with the occasional serpent being sent to trip and bind them. The uncommon ones were having them hide and run for as long as they could from Midori and us every trick they could to prevent themselves from being caught.

" _That damn snake's as bad as Anko-sensei,"_ Ino winced and rubbed her shoulder as she felt both recent and older bruises flare up as she thought about it. Midori was just as brutal in dishing out the pain as Anko was. How Naruto managed to stay sane, though part of her thought that last one was debatable, and survive such training was beyond Ino.

Where as Naruto had passed on his first try, neither Ino nor Hinata had succeeded on theirs and both sorely regretted it when the woman had set Midori loose on them for the next little while. When that was done the purpled haired menace then spared with teammates in taijutsu to fix and give out pointers. Ino had heard of brutal honesty before but swore that a new saying would need to be used for Anko.

"Ok, and that's that," Naruto said as he inspected his work. It wasn't the greatest paint job in the world but it was nowhere near the worst either. If the client wanted that they would have hired professionals instead of Genin who were paid for chores.

After Anko was done inspecting the work of her Genin with the client the woman took out a scroll and received the person's signature as proof that the work was done to their satisfaction. "Hmm, still a too little early for lunch," Anko said as she looked at the sun's position in the sky. At the moment it was only ten after ten, "Change of venue, kiddoes. We're taking another mission before lunch today," Anko grinned as all three groaned.

"Just kill me now," Naruto moaned and wanted the torture to end. "If there's a merciful kami out there please strike me down."

"Oh, no you don't! If Hinata and I have to endure this hell then so do you. Right, Hinata?" Ino looked at her fellow teammate.

"Hai, … it wouldn't be fair to us …Naruto-kun," Hinata blushed as she agreed with Ino. Like anyone Hinata did not care much for D-Rank mission and having one less person on the team meant more work for Ino and herself. Anko didn't participate in the actual grunt work of the mission, merely collecting payment and supervising them. Though even then Hinata noticed that even their teacher had no desire to be there. Perhaps it was her mind playing tricks on her but the shy Hyuga had the impression that the woman looked somewhat impatient and antsy. The way she secretly noticed her muscles twitch or the way she looked else suddenly, it was as though she couldn't wait for the mission to be over fast enough.

" _Does Anko-sensei not care for them either?"_ Hinata pondered whether or not it was the case. For some reason she had the distinctive thought that it wasn't far off from the truth.

"Oi, Hinata! You ok?" Naruto's sudden call broke Hinata from her musing and the Hyuga realized she was lagging behind. "You coming!"

"H…Hai" Hinata responded to her crush and jogged over till she was behind their sensei. The young Hyuga hiding her blushing face from her crush.

"Hey, pale eyes quick question," Anko's asked. The woman being who she was had come up with various nicknames for her students. Naruto was gaki, Hottomaru was poochie-gaki, Hinata was pales eyes, and Ino was blondie. Ino had not cared all that much for her nickname but guessed it could have been a whole lot worse as nicknames went. Though weren't really original she noted.

"Hai, Anko-sensei?" the young Genin wondered what she was going to ask.

"The Byakugan can see through anything, right?" she began and Hinata nodded, "Does that include clothes?"

All three stopped as they processed the meaning of it, "Huh?"

"Oh, don't ask all innocent. We all know you have your eyes on a certain someone," Anko grinned as Hinata became embarrassed.

"Who?" Naruto asked much to Ino, Anko and even Hottomaru's embarrassment.

" _How the hell did he improve so much but still be this clueless,"_ Ino had half a mind to just say it was him that Hinata was crushing on but for the Hyuga's sake she decided against it. Ino knew if she did the relationship between her and Hinata would be strained if she denied Hinata the right to say it herself.

"You wouldn't know him, gaki. He's a bit of an idiot," Anko along with Ino chuckled at the boy's cluelessness.

"That's not true," Hinata mumbled lowly, too low in fact to be heard by anyone.

"But you haven't answered my question, pale eyes. Ever get tempted to see what's beneath another's wardrobe?" she wiggled her eyes suggestively and Hinata began to fluster and blush like mad.

"Ah… Ano, I'd never… that's but," Hinata's stammered.

"Oh, come on. There's no shame in admiring another's body. Use Naruto as a guinea pig if you want," Anko grinned.

"What! Leave me out of this!" Naruto yelled.

Thud.

"Huh?" Naruto looked to his side and noticed Hinata had passed out cold on the ground. Anko's suggestion had proven too much for the girl and her mind had gone into overload from the suggestive thoughts that flowed through it. "Oi! Now look what you did!" Naruto accused his teacher and tried to wake up his unconscious teammate.

" _Hmm, too far,_ " Anko surmised she had gone a wee bit overboard. " _Eh, still funny,_ " she chuckled as Naruto tried to wake up Hinata. "Well seeing as how you're the closest to her I guess you wont mind carrying to the Hokage Tower," Ino had to give Anko points when it was do.

" _She's crazy, but she's good,_ " Ino realized and watched as Naruto hosted Hinata up with ease and started giving the girl a piggy back ride.

"Alright, let's go," both Anko and Ino watched with snickers on their faces as Naruto marched onward with their unconscious teammate.

"Man, I wish I had a camera," Anko cursed her luck. Having a photo of this would make for some great memories to look back on with fond nostalgia. The woman decided to invest in one when she had the time before her team headed towards the Hokage Tower for their next mission.

Minutes later, and one funny as hell way to wake up for Hinata, who fainted once more, and Team 8 arrived inside the Hokage Tower to great Hiruzen, "Back already Team 8?" Hiruzen was surprised by how quick they finished the mission, more so as he saw how "close" Naruto was with his teammate.

"Hmm," was all Hinata said as she snuggled more closely and comfortably on Naruto's back. The young male blushed lightly as she did so. " _Oh, how I wish I had a camera right now,_ " the man smirked and idly wondered how Hiashi would react. The Hyuga clan head had nothing against Naruto in terms of being the jinchuriki and was more cautious than anything but knew he'd be wanting answers if he saw his daughter's current predicament.

"Mission didn't take long thanks to the Shadow Clone Technique the gaki pulled," the woman was kicking herself for not thinking of it sooner. Using this method they be able to do more D-Rank missions faster, leaving them more time to train and increase their skills.

Hiruzen sighed as he heard that though, "Anko, the purpose of the D-Rank missions-"

"Are to promote teamwork among newly graduate Genin," she finished. "In all honesty, Hokage-sama that logic isn't very sound considering most D-Rank missions so far have involved my brats doing individual manual labour. Do you have anything more exciting and challenging?"

"Anko you're seriously suggest they take a C-Rank mission?" Iruka asked her. "Certainly they've done slightly more than the other teams but they've only been out of the academy for only two weeks now. They're nowhere near ready."

"First of all, thanks for the redundant input, Umino, but last I recalled they're my students now, not yours," she sent the man a glare that stopped the man's next words. "Secondly, if you count the twenty odd D-Rank missions the gaki did before he became a ninja then we technically have well over thirty accomplished missions."

"Pardon?" that was news to Iruka. "When did Naruto do D-Rank missions? He hasn't been a Genin for more than two weeks. So how-"

"Couple months or so ago in exchange for favours," Naruto answered as he shifted Hinata's weight a bit, "Jiji, said it was fine because D-Rank missions didn't really pose any healthy risks or anything."

A stunned Chunin instructor looked at his village leader and became shocked as he saw him nod. "Besides D-Rank missions are boring. So what if I used **Kage Bunshin**. It gets the job done faster and we do some more training."

Truthfully Naruto wished he had been able to use the training grounds for his dungeon abilities. The boy had only managed to do so once during his only day off. Because of her standards, Anko had focused more of her attention on Ino and Hinata as they were lacking in certain departments. The girls had not been prepared for the eccentric woman's training methods. Naruto not so much as he was used to but he was still given an intense training regiment, even by Anko's standards, that the woman oversaw. Then there was his continued training under Hayate in the way of the sword. Naruto hardly had any free time at the moment.

"Hokage-sama stated the reasons already, Naruto," Iruka sighed. The more things changed the more they stayed the same it seemed.

"But we're ninja. We do anything and everything to get the job done. I mean Jiji probably uses Shadow Clones to get his paperwork done quicker… right?" Naruto asked his surrogate grandfather.

"Naruto, as a village official I can't go about using such a technique to make my life easier. Would it cut my workload considerably, yes, but it's also about being professional and enduring the things one doesn't like," Hiruzen's words sounded sagely and Iruka couldn't help but agree with his leader's wisdom.

"… The clones didn't want to do the work did they, Jiji?" Naruto wasn't buying the bullshit speech one little bit.

"… Unfortunately, no," Hiruzen cracked a bit and both Ino and Iruka's jaws hit the floor as the man blatantly agreed with Naruto's deduction. "The damn things knew that paperwork never ended unlike D-Rank missions. I thought I found the solution long ago with the Shadow Clones but they ended up being a bust."

As the man known as the God of Shinobi look like he was ready to weep in front of them, Anko looked towards her senior student, "Still want to be Hokage, gaki? I mean look at him. Kinda sad," the woman mentally added a few other descriptive words.

"I'm starting to wonder that, too. Though if I find a way to beat paperwork I'll let you know," Naruto informed them.

"Trust me, Naruto-kun," Hiruzen butted in, "Wise and powerful men have said the exact same thing and failed. One of them was the very founder of Konoha's administrative offices and the creator of the Kage Bunshin."

" _Ok, what the hell is going here? I thought we came to get another mission, not get into some weird debate,"_ Ino honestly preferred doing a mission than have to endure one of Anko's torture sessions. It was the lesser of two evils.

"Ano, Hokage-sama. Our mission request?" Hinata asked and got the conversation back on track.

"Right, pardon," Hiruzen became composed and mentally berated himself for losing it. Going over some scroll mission scrolls, Hiruzen came across one that he thought would be well suited for the team. "Well, though it may be early I think I've found a suitable mission for your team Granted it's a D-Rank one," Naruto groaned at that, "However, I believe it will demonstrate how well your Genin work as a team."

"…Oh, no. Oh, kami, no, not that mission," now was Anko's turn to weep.

"You did say you wanted a more challenging mission, Anko," Iruka gave the woman a smug look and the woman would have meet it with a look of her own had she not been dejected by the new mission. "On the plus side it pays much more."

" _Fuck you, Umino_ ," Anko wanted to tell the man off and flip him the bird as well had Hiruzen not been present. The woman forcefully took the scroll from the man's hand, the action didn't bother the man in the least. After all, Anko's newest mission was the most infamous amongst Konoha D-Rank missions.

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Capture Tora the Hell Cat**

 **Main Quest: Capture Madam Shijimi's pet cat, Tora**

 **Side Quest: Capture Tora under 1, 2, or 3 hours.**

 **Second Side Quest: Capture Tora under half an hour**

 **Potential Rewards**

 **Main Quest Completion: 1100 EXP, 8000 Ryo, +100 Reputation with Konoha and Madam Shijimi, -100 Reputation with Tora**

 **Side Quest Completion: Each hour leftover will result in an addition 250 EXP**

 **Second Side Quest: Earn an 2000 Ryo, and +100 additional Reputation with Madam Shijimi**

 **Failure: 250 Exp, -100 Reputation with Konoha and Madam Shijimi**

* * *

"Ok, now I'm getting a bad feeling," Naruto muttered. Sure the pay was better than what they were used to but Naruto could not shake the bad vibe he was getting.

 **(Sometime Later)**

"This is Sexy Serpent to Blondie. Come in Blondie, over," Anko spoke softly into her radio transmitter.

"This is Blondie. I read you loud and clear… Sexy Serpent, over" Ino groaned. The young Yamanaka really wished her teacher had come up with better codenames. " _Seriously, though. Sexy Serpent? Real original, Anko-sensei."_

"Do you have eyes on the target? Over," Anko asked.

"Nothing on my end, Sexy Serpent, best ask Gaki and Pale Eyes. Over," Ino recommended.

"Will do, Blondie. Pale Eyes, Gaki, you two see anything yet. Over," she asked her other students.

"Nothing yet on my end… Sexy Serpent," Hinata bashfully said and continued to scout the area with her Bloodline Limit. A tiny part of her, one she did not know she had, continued to say she should take a peek on her crush who was no more than 100 yards away from her. " ** _Come on. You know you wanna,_** " the persona grinned and Hinata shook her head to clear her mind and focus on the mission. The inner thought frowned but grinned once more, " ** _You can ignore it all you want, sweetie, but you'll give in sooner or later,_** " she cackled.

"Copy that, Pale Eyes. Gaki, what about you? Over," Anko asked her only male student.

"Nadda, Sexy Serpent. Permission to stop saying the codenames or chose our own, over," Naruto asked before he continued to use his **Detection Skill** to try and locate their target. Few could avoid it which meant this cat's stealth was greater than his skill in detecting it.

"That's a negative, Gaki. Permission denied and quit being a pussy, over," Anko grinned as she heard the groans from both Naruto and Ino. Truthfully the mission would have been over much sooner if they used Midori and some Shadow Clones. However, unlike the previous D-Rank missions they took this one was designed to see how well the three Genin worked as a team. As such Anko forwent the use of her familiar and the use of Shadow Clones to get a better idea. She made them do some exercises as a team and while not the smoothest and greatest they were fairly decent for now. Using Hottomaru's senses was fine but the cat was clever and found ways to hide her scent or use the ninken's senses against him by rubbing itself against multiple objects. The pup was just as annoyed as the rest of them.

The group had been at it for over an hour, nearly two, and had spotted Tora at the odd time and given chase. But like the previous generations the damn creature was very fast and managed to escape. Part of Anko wondered if the damned thing had nekomata or ninneko blood in it for it to be so fast and elusive. The purpled haired Jonin knew both Ino and Naruto were becoming frustrated and while it was funny at first Anko was starting to get annoyed.

"Now I know why the other teams kept bitching about it," she muttered before hearing some rustling in the bushes a dozen yards on her left. Frowning, Anko silently informed her team, "Hold on. We got movement. Blondie, twenty meters to your back left."

Pressing herself to the three nearest to her as best as she could, Ino chanced a peek in the direction indicated and sure enough she spotted their target. "This is Blondie. I've got a visual on the target. Proceed as planned, over."

"Finally," Naruto smirked as an opportunity presented itself. The damn feline wasn't getting away this time. Signaling his ninken over, both males quickly and as stealthily made their way towards their respective locations. "This is Gaki. Hotto and I are almost in position. Over."

"Good, keep low. Pale Eyes can you confirm that's our target? Over," Anko asked Hinata.

"Hai, I have a visual," Hinata responded and focused her attention on the cat. "Red ribbon in her ear, brown fur, it's Tora. Over."

"Good, whenever you're ready kiddoes," Anko would let them deal with the matter. She wouldn't always be there to babysit them after all and needing to development their own way.

"Blondie, Pales Eyes, are you two ready?" Naruto asked and got confirmation from both of them. "On my mark… now!"

Naruto suddenly burst forth from his hidden location and made a mad dash to the target. The blond haired ninja was determined not to let the annoying feline escape from them this time. However, Tora was just as determined not to be captured again and ran like the wind in the opposite direction at frightening speed that outmatched Naruto's.

"Not this time," Naruto snarled as he saw the cat speed up, "Hotto, now!"

"BAARRKKK," an enlarged Hottomaru pounced out from his location. The suddenness and incredible size of the potential predator before her deeply frightened Tora and forced her to run elsewhere. Hottomaru however gave chase and snapped at the annoying and frightened creature.

"Hotto, don't eat her!" Naruto's exclamation frightened the cat. Certainly he didn't care for the little pest and 'accidents' happened but Naruto wanted the EXP. " _No matter how badly I want to get rid of that thing._ "

Tora continued to run away from her potential captors and adopted another tactic as she began to run up a tree. The cat thought the idea cleaver but didn't get far as she was soon blocked but a pale eyed and indigo haired girl.

Tora cursed herself as she remembered that ninja could easily climb trees as well as any cat. Once more she changed direction as the girl lunged at her. The cat narrowly evaded capture as she felt the girl's hand brush against her tail before she fell to the ground and into the blond boy's awaiting arms.

"BAAARRKKK!" the deep sound of the dog forced Tora to pump her legs even faster as she ran even faster. The ribbon wearing cat fled downwards onto the ground as the muscle bound brute sailed over her. With the Genin otherwise preoccupied or far behind her, Tora felt a sense of relief as she ran away to freedom.

" **Shintenshin no Jutsu** (Mind Body Switch Technique)!" Ino declared before her body slumped forward. The girl's mind subsequently entered that of the rebellious feline and overpowered the cat's will with her own as she took control. Ino-Tora remained still as her team surrounded the possessed cat. Naruto bond the cat's limbs as tightly as he could. As ino left the body, Hinata delivered a minor Juken strike for added measure that would temporarily knock the feline out. Giving them enough time to bring her back to the Hokage Tower and to their client.

"Not bad, decent strategy if a tad flawed but not bad guys," Anko, "Still kinda wished Hotto ate her, though."

"Arf!" the small ninken made a gagging motion. Chasing cats were one thing but eating them was not on his to do list. Too much fur in the dog's mind.

"I still can't believe this little guy can do that," Ino was still marvelled by how effective the ninken despite Naruto not knowing any Inuzuku techniques. Seeing the small and cute little guy transform into a deadly and strong beast of a dog was something to see.

"Good boy, Hottomaru-kun," Hinata smiled as she petted the dog. The little ninken all the while was loving the affection and praise.

"All right, enough touchy feely stuff. Let's head back to the tower and get this over with," Anko's idea sounded good to them.

 **(Hokage Tower Sometime Later)**

"Well done, Team 8. One hour and fifty six minutes. Though not the fastest record, not many fresh out of the academy graduates can boast such an accomplishment when it comes to this mission," Hiruzen congratulated the three Genin, Jonin and ninken. All the while the pain of the mission was being smothered to death by it over affectionate owner. Its struggles proving fruitless.

" _No wonder Tora run's away,_ " all three Genin, one ninken, and a Jonin instructor thought as they observed the way the women 'handled' her pet.

"Oh, Tora-chan," Madam Shijimi gushed as she rubbed her check against her beloved cat. "Thank you once again, Hiruzen," the woman graciously expressed her gratitude towards her long time friend as well as paying him. "Once again, Hibaku-kun invites you to the capital for tea when you get the chance."

"I'll visit when I can, Madam Shijimi," Hiruzen answered with a smile.

The Fire Daimyo's wife however had a sour look on her face, "Sarutobi Hiruzen, how many times have I told you to simply call me Shijimi?" she gave a mock glare before sighing, "Honestly you never change."

"Apologies, Madam Shijimi," apologized with a bow towards the regal woman. Madam Shijimi merely shook her head at the many before she was on her way once more.

* * *

 **[QUEST COMPLETED!]**

 **Capture Tora the Hell Cat**

 **Main Quest: Capture Madam Shijimi's pet cat, Tora (ACCOMPLISHED)**

 **Side Quest: Capture Tora under 1, 2, or 3 hours. (ACCOMPLISHED)**

 **Second Side Quest: Capture Tora under half an hour (NOT ACCOMPLISHED)**

 **Total Rewards**

 **Main Quest Completion: 1600 EXP, 8000 Ryo, +100 Reputation with Konoha and Madam Shijimi, -100 Reputation with Tora**

* * *

"Now then Team 8 we have a few missions left for you to choose. Tsukiwa-san needs someone to look after her children for a few hours, Itsuki needs someone for manual labour around the house-"

"Tora-chan, come back!"

"… Madam Shijimi needs a team to recapture Tora," he chuckled.

"No…No, no, no, no, no, and hell no!" Naruto had enough of this. "I'm done. No more of this crap, Jiji! We're trained to be ninja yet all we've been doing are chores, chores, chores! How the hell are we gonna improve if we don't do anything challenging? I've done thirty D-Rank missions so technically speaking I'm allowed to take on a C-Rank mission now."

"Naruto, watch your tongue," Iruka admonished his student.

"Can't, sensei. It's in my mouth," he smirked and stopped the man from saying anything further.

" _Lame_ ," was what both Ino and Anko it was quick and somewhatwitty but it wasn't very good.

"Regardless of your accomplishments, Naruto, you're not ready. C-Rank missions-", Iruka began.

"Yeah, the gaki's done that too, Umino. Took care of Onibuta a couple of months back. And he recently did a B-Rank one, remember," Anko interjected.

" _What the hell? When did this happen?_ " Ino was known for her gossip and being up to date with rumours and whatever captured her fancy. For her not to know that Naruto accomplished such tasks, especially the one when he had yet to improve, meant she was slacking in her mind. It also begged the question, " _How the hell did he get strong so fast?"_

" _Naruto-kun's done that much already?_ " Hinata couldn't help but admire and become dejected at the same time. The object of her affections was improving so quickly while she felt she was lagging behind. " _I'm I really cut out for this?_ "

"Enough," Hiruzen spoke out and the authority that carried with it silenced the two ninja. Hiruzen then proceeded to take out a scroll and presented it to Anko, "Naruto is right, Iruka. They are not academy students anymore. If they are to improve we need to know when to let go and when to push them. Normally I wouldn't be doing this as you have only been a team for only two weeks. However, because of Naruto's accomplishments and experience, coupled with the performance Team 8 has been doing so far, I'm assigning you a C-Rank mission."

"Yatta!" Naruto whooped. " _About damn time!_ "

"What's the mission, Hokage-sama?" Anko asked. "Are we leaving, Konoha?"

"Not in this case, no," Hiruzen said and Naruto slumped a little. "But it will take you some time to finish it. A few months ago a ninja team came back from Suna during an escort mission. One of them took some sand with them on the way back and sealed a large amount of it into a scroll, which was later discovered to have held scorpion eggs."

"Oh, boy," Anko winced. "This is the Insect Incident all over again," Anko recalled a similar event that had happened years ago when a young Aburame had taken a newly discover insect and brought it to Konoha. Though experts and extremely careful, accidents happened and the insect's population literally boomed and threatened to overrun a good part of Konoha before it was taken care of.

Hiruzen nodded and mentally shuddered, "Luckily no one was hurt but several of the scorpions managed to escape into some of the sealed off areas that was still affected by minor but potent pockets of the Kyubi's residue chakra. They have since then migrated into one of the larger training fields and have now rapidly mutated into large and aggressive variants of their diminutive selves. Your task is to get rid of them as much as possible and dwindle their numbers down. Bring me proof of your deeds and I will consider you for other future C-Rank missions."

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Stingers, Pincers and Venom… Oh, Shit!**

 **Main Quest: Clear Training Area 8 of Scorpions (Kill 30 Scorpion Drones, 15 Soldiers, and 5 Giant Scorpions)**

 **Side Quest: Defeat Scorpion Boss**

 **Potential Rewards**

 **Main Quest Completion: 3000 EXP, 25000 Ryo, +300 Reputation with Konoha, Allowed to undertake more C-Rank Missions**

 **Side Quest Completion: 2500 EXP, +150 Reputation with Konoha**

 **Failure: 550 Exp, -300 Reputation with Konoha, must wait some time before allowed to undertake another C-Rank Mission**

 **Accept (Yes/No)**

Naruto merely grinned. This was gonna be fun.

* * *

 **Omake: Snu-Snu Part Two! (Naruto, Hinata, and Ino's age boosted up to 16)**

"Oh, fuck me," Naruto cursed at the unfairness of it all.

"…Well, I haven't had some in a while so … what the hell?" Anko shrugged before she began stripping off her clothes, much to Ino and Hinata's incredible shock as they began seeing the woman's more intimate body parts. Anko ignored them and merely focused on the fun she was about to have. Naruto was a decent lay and his stamina had most likely increased since the last time she slept with him.

" _Fuck this, I'm outta here,_ " Hottomaru thought human courtships to be weird as hell and promptly left. His partner was on his own for this one.

"Oh, no!" Naruto paled as he saw where this was going, "I love sex and all but I ain't sleeping with you again! My pelvis nearly broke for god sakes the last time we did it!"

"What!?" both Ino and Hinata gapped in surprise. "What the hell do you mean again?" Ino asked.

"Well, it ain't exactly a difficult concept to grasps," a fully naked Anko said from behind Naruto. "His tool on the other hand **is** kinda tricky to grasp though."

The woman proceeded to emphasize her point by ripping off every bit of Naruto's clothing before he had time to react, leaving the blond teenager bare to the world and his team. All the while his manhood was currently being manhandled by their Jonin instructor.

" _Must not look, must not look,_ " Hinata repeating her mantra was the only thing keeping her from fainting.

"HOLY MOMMA, LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING!" Ino gawked and Naruto or no she'd freely admit she was impressed by her fellow blond. It wasn't the only impressive thing either as she drooled at the sight of his very toned muscular physique.

Curiosity getting the best of her, Hinata dared a peek on her crush, "EEEEEP!" Hinata blushed into a crimson supernova before being propelled backwards by a rush of blood. "So big," she mumbled unconsciously.

"Gonna need to work on that," Anko muttered as she continued to fondle her student. "Now then – Hey, wait your turn!" Anko shouted as a now naked Ino decided to take charge of the situation. By which she meant Naruto's penis.

"You snooze you lose, Anko-sensei," Ino smirked before she got back to work.

"Move it, blondie!" the leader of Team 8 ordered her student. Neither one wanting to give up their prize and basically a game of tug o war with the blond male.

" _Oh, god, help me,_ " the whole situation would have been enjoyable if it weren't so painful at the moment. " _Can this get any worse?"_

"Ah, fuck this. Gaki, make some Shadow Clones!" Anko ordered.

"God damn it!" his jinx caused worse to happen. Normally one would think it a god sent but the boy knew that any stress or fatigue his clones had upon dispelling would transfer over to him.

He was in for a rough one.

(Sometime Later)

"Get some rest, gaki. You'll need it for tomorrow," the woman smacked his ass. The boy wincing as he was still sore all over. Even more so when the clones dispelled.

"Later, Na-ru-to-kun," Ino emphasized each word and gave the boy a seductive wink before she left. The blonde swaying her well-proportioned hips in a teasing seductive manner that only added to the boy's discomfort.

"God damn it go down already!" a frustrated and exhausted Naruto yelled at his mini-me. How the damn thing still had energy he did not know and was scared to find out why. "At least it's over."

"Oh, Naruto-kun," a sudden chill never felt before went up his spine as he heard the words being uttered. Slowly and with fear overcoming his judgment, Naruto gazed upon the body of the now conscious Hyuga Hinata. Only the meek and shy girl's demeanor, much like her choice of clothing for some reason, had drastically changed. "Hina-chan want's to have some fun, too."

The odd and frightening look in her eyes got the message across. It was crystal clear what they were saying. "This is happening whether you want it to or not."

"Mommy," he whimpered.

"That's right, I'm your momma," Hinata grinned and he shuddered, "and momma's gonna teach you a lesson you'll never forget. Even booze won't help you forget this."

" _Ah, fuck. That was my only saving grace!_ " Naruto suddenly felt himself being roughly pushed down on the ground, wincing as he did, and found himself straddled by his formerly meek and now provocative teammate. "Hinata, can't we talk this over?"

"Less talky, more nooky," was her response and with a smile Hinata took off the top of her jacket and Naruto's eyes, along with something else, bulged considerably, "WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU HIDDING THOSE THINGS, HINATA!?" seriously they were big.

The bluenette's response was to slap the boy and to grin even more, "Hinata's not here right now. Please leave a message and Hina will make sure she get's it."

"Wait… Hina?" Naruto rubbed his cheek to dull the pain before his mind connected the dots on what she said, " _Ah, shit! She's got that split personality thing! Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with the women on this team-Ohh, wow!"_

(Some more time later)

"So weak… can barely feel legs and … hips," a sweat, bruise covered and outfit torn wearing Naruto uttered as he dragged his exhausted ass back home. It didn't help that his pelvis was on the verge of falling to pieces, again, and he needed a walking stick to help prevent him from falling down. After he was done with Hinata, more like she was done with him, the assertive side of the Hyuga disappeared and Naruto was literally left in an awkward position with the meek and humble persona. Naruto had thought his trouble to be over when that happened; twas not to be apparently.

" _At least Nice Hinata was gentle and caring,_ " he thought as he continued to limp on home.

"Yo, Naruto, what the hell happened to you man," the blond looked over and saw Kiba coming up next to him.

"I'd rather not talk about it," not only because he wasn't one to kiss and tell, but he really did not want to talk about how he was basically used and then tossed aside like a battery powered sex toy.

"Seriously dude what happened? You look like you went through a meat grinder and lived to tell about it," Kiba asked just as his heightened sense of smell kicked in, "What's that smell? Smells like sweat, anger, and shame."

"Yep," Naruto didn't bother denying it. With Kiba's senses lying would not work and the feral teenager would put two and two together either way.

"You bastard you had sex didn't you?" he sniffed the air around Naruto and his eyes widened as he smelt something else, "With two – no wait… three women?! What the fuck man!" Kiba fumed in anger but quickly became concerned as he saw Naruto's body shaking. "You ok, Naruto?"

"No," Naruto whimpered, "During the whole thing. All three of them were the man," he admitted to a horrified Kiba.

"Dear Kami!" the boy moved to comfort the 'violated' blond.

"I just want you to know, Kiba. Not once did I cry," the boy cried.

"It's ok, man. It's ok," Kiba.

"No, it's not. I'm on their team. I'm stuck with them!" he bawled and Kiba comforted his friend.

Once more it would seem that Naruto was fucked.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Rank: Genin (10% EXP, Loot Increase)**

 **Level: 18 Next Level: 18290/19400**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 3900**

 **CP: 5950**

 **STR: 80**

 **VIT: 127**

 **DEX: 131**

 **INT: 181**

 **WIS: 89.5**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 80**

 **Perk:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, ?

 **Special Perks:**

 **Gamer:** Allows you to live your life like a video game. You still don't know much about it though, but who cares life is good.

 **Kyuubi Jinchuriki:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP and Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards Reputation gain with those with Neutral and lower, ?

 **Titles:**

 **Apprentice Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu Swordsman:** +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Kenjutsu, Stealth **,** Feints and Movement Speed, +3 DEX, +2 STR per Lv

 **Grand Master Zombie Slayer:** 100% increase attack and defense against Undead, +50 towards stats when facing Undead, +50% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards Reputation gain with those with Neutral and lower, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Description:** Much of Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently a Genin with aspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. Due to great improvement and proper tutelage under Anko Mitarashi and Gekko Hayate, Naruto went from Dead Last to being a high middle rank student. Recently he has discovered that he is the jinchuriki of the Kyubi no Yoko, and the reason why he has the animosity of many.

 **Money** : 1,416,446 Ryo ~ (141,644.60$)

 **Attribute Points: 10**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Job: Ninken (Ninja Dog)**

 **Level: 15 Next Level: 3693/14,400**

 **Reputation: Friendly (2025/3000)**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **Ninken Category: Hybrid "Guard and Tracking"**

 **HP: (850/850)**

 **CP: (750/750)**

 **STR: 26**

 **VIT: 34**

 **DEX: 46**

 **INT: 30**

 **WIS: 22**

 **LUK: 20**

 **DEF: 15**

 **Perks:**

 **Keen-Senses:** +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Ninja Dog:** Human Lifespan, Ability to Mould Chakra, Potential to speak human language

 **Komainu Lineage (Guard Dog):** +2 VIT, +1 STR per Lv, +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Biting Techniques, -10% Effectiveness and EXP towards Training and Reputation, "?"

 **Akita Lineage (Tracking Dog):** +3 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Tracking Skill, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Stealth, +10% towards Movement Speed during and outside combat

 **Special Perks:**

 **Gamer's Combat Pet:** A special perk that allows any of your combat pets the ability **Gamer's Body** , though they only earn a small amount of Attribute Points per level that you can allocate. However, this can be lost if you decide you don't want a certain pet or if your pet abandons you or dies.

 **Titles:**

 **Master Zombie Slayer:** 80% increase attack and defense against Undead, +35 stats when facing Undead, +35% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Description:** A two year old ninja dog with Komainu blood in his veins. While possessing great potential like his cousin Akamaru, Hottomaru like most Komainu pups require a good amount of discipline and can be difficult to train but are fiercely loyal and protective of their owners and partners.

 **Attribute Points: 0**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hyuga Hinata**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Academy Student**

 **Level: 13 Next Level: 4698/11400**

 **Reputation Level: Exalted (560/12000)**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 550**

 **CP: 750**

 **STR: 19**

 **VIT: 22**

 **DEX: 50**

 **INT: 30**

 **WIS: 72**

 **LUK: 13**

 **DEF: 10**

 **Perks:**

 **Byakugan:** +1 DEX per Lv, +20% EXP & Effectiveness towards Medical Ninjutsu, Detection, Sensing, and Taijutsu Skills, Capable of seeing virtually through everything, body pressure points and at far distances

 **Main Family Lineage:** +2 WIS & +1 DEX per Lv, +10% Effectiveness to all Hyuga Clan Skills, +10% Reputation gain with Konoha and Konoha Allies, +10% EXP and Effectiveness towards Bartering Skill with Konoha and Allies, +10% EXP and Effectiveness towards Taijutsu and Chakra Control Skill, Risk of capture from Kumo shinobi

 **Titles:**

 **Apprentice Juken Practitioner:** +2 WIS, +1 DEX, +1 INT, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Taijutsu Skill, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Chakra Control Skill

 **Beginner Medical Practitioner:** +1 WIS per level, +10% EXP & Effectiveness towards Medical Ninjutsu and Herbalism Skills

 **Status Effect:**

 **Mild-Diffidence:** -20% to all stats, -20% EXP earned, -20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Skills, Self Confidence Issues **,** Can potentially become irreversible if progressed too far

 **Description: Hinata is a very kind but very shy young girl who comes from one of Konoha's four noble clans. Despite being trained in the art of the Gentle Fist at a young age, a renown and deadly taijutsu, Hinata's skill is lacking for reasons currently unknown. While not one of the best students in the academy Hinata is still one of the more intelligent students. While most of the girls in her class are infatuated with Sasuke, Hinata is attracted to someone else. Her love for cinnamon rolls is said to rival Uzumaki Naruto's love for ramen.**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Yamanaka Ino**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Academy Student**

 **Level: 12 Next Level: 6066/10,100**

 **Reputation: Friendly** (246/3000)

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 475**

 **CP: 525**

 **STR: 15**

 **VIT: 19**

 **DEX: 42**

 **INT: 21**

 **WIS: 58**

 **LUK: 18**

 **DEF: 10**

 **Perks:**

 **Enhanced Cognition:** +1 WIS per Lv, +15% EXP and Effectiveness to Detection, +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Chakra Control Skills, +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Skills learned through books and scrolls

 **Natural Grace:** +2 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness towards Movement Speed in and out of combat, +15% Effectiveness towards Evasion,

 **Special Perk:**

 **Yamanaka Lineage (Heiress):** +3 WIS per Lv, +25% Effectiveness to all Yamanaka Clan Skills, +25% Reputation gain with Konoha and Konoha Allies, +25% EXP and Effectiveness Bartering with Konoha and Allies, 15% EXP increase from Konoha Missions

 **Titles:**

 **Apprentice Botanist:** 15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Botany Skill, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Herbalism Skill, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Poison Skills

 **Beginner Mind Walker:** +1 WIS, +10% EXP & Effectiveness towards Torture and Interrogation Skill, +10% EXP & Effectiveness towards Information Gathering Skill, +10% towards Chakra Control Skill, +10% Resistance towards Torture and Interrogation

 **Konoha's Mrs. Beauty:** +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Seduction Skill, +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Bartering Skill, +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Infiltration Skill

 **Description: Though not as intelligent as her rival, Sakura, Ino is still one of the top students at the academy. Ino is talented in her clan's teachings but due to her attitude and infatuation with Sasuke she isn't as far or as proficient as she should be. Ino is notorious for her gossip and fashion sense, very little happens in the academy that she doesn't know about.**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Mitarashi Anko**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Jonin**

 **Level: 39 Next Level: 52348/86700**

 **Reputation Level: Honoured** (1387/6000)

 **Specialization: Torture and Interrogation, Toxicology**

 **HP: ?**

 **CP: ?**

 **STR: ?**

 **VIT: ?**

 **DEX: ?**

 **INT: ?**

 **WIS: ?**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: ?**

 **Special Perks:**

 **(Sealed) Cursed Seal of Heaven:** +20% Stats Increase, +20% Effectiveness and Power towards all Skills, -25% Mental Resistance, Capable of causing random erratic and emotional outburst, Capable of corrupting the individual with repetitive use

 **Perks:**

 **Gifted Ninja:** +15% Effectiveness towards all skills, +15% EXP towards skills, +15% Power increase towards skills, +15% EXP towards Missions

 **Serpentine Grace:** +4 DEX per Lv, +25% Effectiveness towards Movement Speed in and out of combat, +25% Effectiveness towards Evasion and Counters

 **Titles:**

 **T & I Veteran: **+30% effectiveness and EXP to "T&I" skill, +30% effectiveness and EXP to "Killing Intent" skill

 **Toxicologist Veteran:** +30% effectiveness, damage, and EXP to "Poisons" skill, +75% to "Poison Resistance"

 **Tracking Veteran:** +30% effectiveness, EXP to "Tracking" skill, +30% damage & defense to stealth based attacks

 **Snake Whore of Konoha:** -25% Reputation gain with Konoha inhabitants with those with Neutral and lower, -25% Teamwork effectiveness with Konoha ninja with those with Neutral and lower

 **Status Effects:**

 **Sealed Powers:** -30% Effectiveness towards skills, -30% EXP towards skills, -30% Power towards skills, -30% towards Stats, Powers can be returned via use of **Curse Seal** or successfully removing it

 **Description: A former student of the infamous rogue ninja, Orochimaru. Hailed as a gifted ninja at a very young age, Anko later went on to become one of Konoha's top torture and interrogation specialists and an accomplished tracker, accomplishing tasks where others, other than the Inuzuka, failed. Due to her tutelage Anko is one of Konoha's best toxicologist, having used and created many unique poisons in the field and during interrogations. Her love of dango is quite well known and feared, some say surpassing Uzumaki Naruto's love for ramen.**

* * *

 **Here you are guys. I said I would delivery, if a little later than expected, and here you are. Over 12000 words in this one, my largest chapter. Expect much more action in the next one. Anyway I got tons more than what was asked, 158 reviews is nuts but very much appreciated guys. I thank you all for you support.**

 **Please Continue with the large amount of reviews, 80-90 or more, with this chapter and I will update soon! Most likely next Friday, or Saturday. Have a nice weekend.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: What the Hell is This?!**

Naruto's grin never left his face as Team 8 left the Hokage Tower with their new mission. The boy was eager to get the mission started. One look at his body was enough to validate it. For quite some time he had been wanting to hit the dungeons or get a decent/mission. Sure D-Rank added some experience and he got a decent amount of money from them. However, there was no excitement or anything to push him to get stronger.

"Alright, brats, fall in!" Anko ordered her team and every one of them complied with the leader of the team. "This is your first C-Rank mission and depending on how well we do Hokage-sama said it ain't gonna be our last either. I think I speak for all of us when I say D-Rank suck balls," the woman's crude but honest answer got nods all around. "So to better prepare for this shindig I want you all to go home and get everything you need and prepare yourself for everything you think you may need. They may be scorpions but Chakra Mutations can still be tough for new Genin, too."

"Chakra Mutations… what are those?" Ino was unfamiliar with the term. Before Naruto could answer her, the three Genin saw their teacher visibly slump and sigh loudly.

"Umino, I'm gonna fucking kill you," Anko muttered. Sure Mizuki had a hand in hampering the growth of the academy students but common knowledge was common knowledge still. "A chakra mutation is a creature mutated by ... well, chakra. They are physically imbalanced and a result it makes them stronger, bigger, and slightly smarter than their average counterparts," both Ino and Hinata still looked a little baffled and the woman decided to elaborate.

"Basically they're creatures that were once normal but through a series of events they mutated into stronger and more aggressive versions of themselves. Usually it happens through genetic experimentation or they're somehow affected by powerful chakra residue. It's not that uncommon really but we try to keep their numbers down as best we can," Anko explained before she sent them off. "Oi, gaki, hang on a sec before you go."

As she saw both Ino and Hinata leave the area, Naruto and Anko then made their way towards his home. "Gaki, you're gonna need to use your Gamer ability for this to create a dungeon… and possibly tell those two about it, too. Without it I doubt we're gonna get this mission done and over with."

"What!?" Naruto had an inkling but didn't think it would be this far on the dot.

"Look, I know you're hesitant," she ignored his snorting, "but your ability is what's most likely making this mission happen."

"My ability?" that declaration threw him through a loop, "How?"

Casting a look around to make sure they were alone, despite being in his apartment, Anko then spoke in a hushed tone, "Here's the deal, gaki. I did a bit of research with that Abyss group on your ability. While they aren't really keen on saying who has what they were able to tell me a little more about the types of abilities there are. I was lucky too since I'm associated with you. If I weren't your sensei, or met the Manager, they wouldn't have told me shit. I won't bore you with too many details but they have a ranking system on this sorta thing and yours is at the very top and rarest. Your Gamer ability from what I've seen affects not only yourself but others as well as events around you. Case and point, ninja have hardly ever been given missions that deal with Chakra Mutations or really had to deal with them. Two or five times a year tops and even then it ain't this serious. But ever since you gained that ability and became a Genin I've heard they've become much more frequent. Yet at the same time I've heard that no one has dealt with some of them either. I don't think it's that much of a coincidence. Your ability is creating the events for these missions to be dealt with so you, and maybe even others around you, to become stronger," part of her realized it was both incredible and slightly frightening. Such a unique and weird ability had such an impact on their lives. Granted it was only a theory but with the dates coinciding and the evidence that presented itself Anko couldn't think it to be merely a coincidence.

Naruto himself was floored. Sure what Anko said sounded farfetched but at the same time it made a lot of sense. Naruto merely assumed his ability let him live his life like a video game and only that. To hear that it did a hell of a lot more and on this kind of scale made him realize just how powerful the ability was, and how lucky he was to have it too. The problem was that how Ino and Hinata would react. Anko had freaked out when she was a part of it for the first time but being a experienced Jonin she recovered pretty well. Ino and Hinata might have a different reaction.

"Look I know you're hesitant and I know Ino's a gossip but you're gonna need to trust them. The longer it takes before you tell them the harder it will be. You're gonna need to tell them at some point, Naruto. Shinobi are meant to lie but doing it for too long with your team ain't gonna end well. Best you get it over and done with sooner than later," Anko advised her student.

Naruto sighed as he knew she was telling the truth, "I'll think about it," he told her and the woman nodded. It was all she could ask and truthfully it was Naruto's decision. She wasn't going to coddle the boy. If he wanted to keep it a secret it was his choice. The woman just hoped he was prepared for the potential consequences that were to come if he kept it too long.

Though how he was going to approach the topic was another question all together. One simply didn't say, "I've got this wicked ability that allows me to live life like a video game and allows me to make dungeons with creatures and shit!" They'd be earning themselves a sure fire ticket to the loony bine. And that's if they were lucky.

"Anyway, get your shit together and meet me at Training Area Nine," Anko said before she Shunshin away from the area.

Naruto and Hottomaru made to leave too just as the young blond remembered, "Wait, Training Area Nine… isn't that where we had our test!" Naruto just realized that the team had to consider themselves lucky that there weren't any scorpions during the test. How knows what would have happened.

"Talk about irony or good luck," Naruto muttered. The blond jinchuriki then focused on getting his gear ready for the mission. His first stop was Tetsu's shop. With the amount of time he spent during his missions, training with his team and grinding his other skills with his team the boy had not gotten the chance to see what the progress was on his new armor.

Grabbing Hottomaru, Naruto proceeded to jump up on the wall and when he reached the top did he start roof hopping at full speed. While using the **Shunshin** would have been ideal and quicker, the distance between his current location and Tetsu's shop, coupled with him holding Hotto, would have taken a good amount of chakra. Naruto was at a high level but field dungeons tended to have stronger foes and higher levels. Naruto wouldn't be surprised the boss was a level twenty or so.

The boy jumped from roof to roof for a good few minutes before he finally arrived at the man's shop. "Hey, Tetsu-" Naruto halted his greeting. Instead of seeing the large muscle framed Tetsu, the boy saw a petite double bun haired girl.

"Heya, welcome to Tetsu's," the girl began, "if you're looking for dad he isn't here. The old man had to step out for an hour for some deliveries. Name's Tenten, what can I do for ya?"

"Forgot about me already?" Naruto asked; giving the girl a look over once. Despite their previous encounter the boy still couldn't wrap it around his head that the offspring of Tetsu, a tall muscular man, to look so … different.

"Oh, right. You're Naruto. Sorry, we get a lot a clients and … what's with the "you don't look like I thought you would look" plastered on your face," Tenten asked and Naruto had the decency to look somewhat abashed. Oh, man. Talk about déjà vu. "Anyway, you here to buy something or not cuz I got stuff to do?" Tenten didn't want to sound rude but she did have quite a few things she needed to finish before her father got back from his runs. Running a shinobi gear shop was a full time job at times, especially during peak season.

"Oh, right, sorry," Naruto fished out his order receipt and gave it to Tenten. Seeing everything was order, the kunoichi went into the back to get his new armour set. Having not done so the last time he saw her, and deciding there was no harm in it, Naruto discreetly used his **Observe** skill on the girl.

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Tenten**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Genin (10% EXP, Loot Increase)**

 **Level: 22 Next Level: 16143/27300**

 **Specialization: Weapon Specialist**

 **HP: 1350**

 **CP: 1050**

 **STR: 40**

 **VIT: 54**

 **DEX: 117**

 **INT: 38**

 **WIS: 51**

 **LUK: 47**

 **DEF: 30**

 **Perk:**

 **Ambidextrous:** +2 DEX per level, +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Dual Wielding Skill, +20% Power and Speed towards Dual Wielding Weapons

 **Innate-Weapons User:** Weapons Specialist Specialization Unlocked, +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards bukijutsu, +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards weapon fighting styles, +20% speed increase towards all weapons and bukijutsu, -20% CP usage towards bukijutsu and weapons styles

 **Dead-Aim:** Accuracy with weapons is at its outmost peak, +25% increase towards Critical Strikes

 **Titles:**

 **Journeyman Weapons Specialist:** +3 DEX & 1 STR per level, +30% EXP and Effectiveness towards bukijutsu, +30% speed increase towards all weapons and bukijutsu, +30% EXP and Effectiveness towards weapon fighting styles,

 **Apprentice Fuinjutsu Specialist:** +2 WIS per level, +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Fuinjutsu Skill, +15% Power towards Fuinjutsu Skill, -15% CP Usage towards Fuinjutsu

 **Description:** Tenten is the sole daughter and child of Tetsumaru and Tenka, two well-known weapon enthusiasts, though more so the latter. Due to her upbringing and being surrounded by weapons and ninja tools most of her life, Tenten has a deep love of weapons and resolve to become a formidable kunoichi. What she lacks in common ninjutsu she makes up for it in her own unique style and weapon prowess.

" _Whoa,"_ Naruto didn't know whether or not to be impressed or freaked out by how proficient she was with weapons. The titles and perks she had for them, or was related to them, was nuts in his mind. At the same time though, Naruto couldn't help but wonder how strong she was. The last time he recalled Tetsu talking about her he remembered the man saying Tenten had graduated about a little over six months ago. But even after only half a year the girl was not that much stronger than him. In a few months he didn't doubt that he'd be much stronger than the girl. Naruto knew he certainly would be nowhere as gifted as her in bukijutsu but stronger still.

"Here you go… uh… hello? You ok, kid?" Tenten snapped her fingers in front of the boy's face and got him out of his daydreaming.

"Hmm, what?" Naruto asked.

"You alright, kid? You just spaced out there for a sec," Tenten was never really freaked out by much but this came pretty damn close.

"Oh, sorry. Thinking about something," Naruto said before he looked at his new armour.

 **Custom-Made Ninja Combat Armour Set - Uncommon Quality**

 **Armour**

 **Durability: 80/80**

 **Custom made combat armour that was designed to endure the blights of battle. Though lightweight the armour is incredibly durable and blends in well with its surroundings, especially at night. Underneath the durable cloth like leather is a very strong mesh armour and on the leather itself are pieces of dark metal for added protection. Along the arms length are durable metal gauntlets that create both added defense and offense. The combat armor comes with an adjustable facemask used to hide one's identity. However, it does not hide their village affiliation as ninja can be identified by their headbands.**

 **Defense: 65**

 **Stats Boosts: +4 VIT, +4 STR, +15% Effectiveness and Power towards Stealth and Stealth Skills during the night, +15% Effectiveness and Power towards Taijutsu and Blocking**

"Sweeeeeet," Naruto prolonged the word's length as he looked upon the armor. Not only would it look badass and make him more ninja like, at least in the eyes of others, but the added boost in defense and stats was also a great welcome.

"Mind if I use your dressing room?" he asked the kunoichi; her only response was to shrug and point him towards the nearest one.

Taking off his old armor, Naruto couldn't help but admire what he looked like now. Even though he was in pretty good shape four months ago his lack of a proper diet and performing the exercises as they should have been didn't do much. Now, however; the blond was standing at four and eleven inches head to toe. The boy also sported a decent toned up frame because of the intense training he performed as well as the dungeon crawling. He was by no means the buffest of individuals but he was no longer as springy looking as he used to be.

As time passed, Tenten began to get impatient. It shouldn't have taken this long to removed ones old armour and then place on a new one, "Yo! What's taking so long?" she called out to him. "You're not one of those guys who admires themselves in the mirror are you?"

Naruto's response was to come out of the dressing room, sporting his new armor. Tenten gave the boy a look over and had to admit it wasn't a bad look, "Hmm, suits you. Personally I prefer weapons over armour but still not bad… uh?"

"Naruto," he deadpanned at her forgetfulness.

"Right, Naruto," Tenten mentally cursed herself for forgetting the name once again. The kunoichi blamed Gai and his clone for their over the top training methods. Tenten was pretty certain she received more than a few blows to the head.

"By the way, what's a fresh out of the academy Genin doing with this kind of armor?"

"My old armor was kinda wearing out and I got my first C-rank mission today," technically it was his second but this was an official one.

Tenten was slightly shocked, "A C-Rank already?" when she first started out Tenten's team waited a little over a month, a very intense one, before their teacher thought them ready to take their first C-Rank. "How'd you newbies get one so early?" she asked.

"Luck of the draw, I guess," Naruto shrugged but Tenten looked like she wasn't buying it. "I also kinda did a ton of D-Rank missions as favours for Anko before I became a Genin."

Tenten chuckled as she heard that name, "Oh, you poor newbs. Anko babysat me a few times and people still wonder I'm sane. I'd feel sorry for ya but if you can't handle her then you aren't cut out to be a ninja."

"Anko babysat you?" Naruto guessed that was somewhat similar the two of them shared.

"Oh, believe me, Anko's nuts in almost everything she does," Naruto would not deny such a claim, "but she gets results, too. Plus my mom kinda had her wrapped around her finger," she smirked and both Naruto and his ninken decided not to push. Both knew that look all too well and made the wise decision to leave and get some other supplies they would need. They'd ask another time.

 **(Sometime Later; Training Area Nine)**

"Ok, now that Ino's here all we need to do is wait for Gaki, and Poochie-Gaki," Anko stated the obvious and both girls knew by the way Anko moved that she was antsy and rearing to get going.

" _Oh, yeah, she's definitely a female version of Naruto_ ," the blonde Yamanaka heiress noted. One would have to be blind or be outside of Konoha not to see the similarities between the two. The most common quality was that both had an obsession with a particular dish, though Naruto she saw had toned it down, and the mischievous look they had in their eyes at times. Ino originally wondered if Anko was Naruto's mother, she had dismissed the idea because of the age gap, or idly wondered if she was a relative of his. Though in the end, Ino ended up chalking it up as them being merely similar.

"Yo!" the group looked in the voice's direction and spotted Naruto's form.

"Whoa, nice threads, gaki," it was evident that Anko approved. "Probably cost a pretty ryo though?"

Naruto merely shrugged in response, "If it keeps me alive then so what," was the boy's response. Looking at his teammates Naruto asked, "What do you guys think?"

"Who are you and what have you done with Naruto?" typical Ino asked, "Naruto has terrible color coordination," she smirked.

"I do not!" the blond argued.

"Ehhhhh," Anko wasn't going to deny it or agree with the statement.

"Oh, come on!" Naruto was not expecting this. "Hinata?" he asked and prayed the Hyuga would say something positive.

"A… Ano, you look … very nice, Naruto-kun," Hinata complimented before she soon found herself lifted into the air, "Eeeep!"

"Thank you," the boy smiled as he hugged his only complement giving teammate. "See this is how a teammate is supposed to act. Why can't you two be more like Hinata?"

"Ahh… ano… Naruto-kun!" Hinata was ignored during the conversation and blushed as her crush held her in his arms. The boy unexpectedly tightened his hold on her and the young girl blushed even more as she was now even closer to her teammate, " _Naruto-kun's holding me tightly and closely!"_

"I'm a Jonin and my superiority means I don't have to listen to your bitchin and moaning," Anko stated as a matter of fact. All the while wishing she had bought that camera. " _Why does the good stuff happen when you don't want them to?_ "

"I only listen to Anko-sensei. She's the team lead and not you. I just try and drown you out as best I can at times," Ino stated and Anko secretly gave the girl a look of approval. Ino herself was enjoying the situation Hinata was in and shared the same thought as her Jonin instructor and wished she had a camera on hand as well.

" _Yeah, you can feel the love with this team,_ " Naruto mentally deadpanned and gave the other two women of his team a look. "Eh, as long as I got your sup… Anko, Hinata fainted again!"

" _Gee, I wonder why?_ " Anko shook her head and chuckled as she approached her meek student. Luckily Anko had gotten some powerful smelling salts to rectify this on the off chance it happened once more. With Hinata now awake, though she still sported a decent blush and kept glancing at Naruto, Anko decided it was high to get the party started.

"Alright, twerps, this is the real deal. Dealing with chakra mutations ain't exactly easy and if you aren't careful you're gonna get hurt," here she eyed Ino and Hinata. Something that Ino didn't miss.

"Hey, what about Naruto?" Ino knew that neither she nor Hinata had ever dealt with this sort of thing but surely Naruto didn't too.

Anko merely chuckled, "Believe it or not the gaki's already had to deal with a few chakra mutations. Minor ones but he had to deal with them still."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Ino grumbled.

"Yeah, well, seeing is believing," Naruto began and knew it was now or never. Best to get it over with quickly as the saying went, "Invite Yamanaka Ino and Hyuga Hinata!" he called out and prayed nether thought bad of him after this.

"Invite? What the…. Hell?" a wide-eyed Ino lost her train of thought as a pop up window appeared in front of her. The Yamanaka blinked once, twice, thrice before she shook her head. "Ok, decent illusion but kind of useless really."

"Umm, Ino-chan," Hinata was about to speak up before her teammate held her hands up and performed the **Genjutsu Kai** (Illusionary Technique Disruption) to rid herself of the harmless technique.

"Ok, then… oh, what the hell?" Ino frowned as the screened remained firmly in place. "Really smooth, Naruto," Ino glared at him and then boy just stood their with his arms crossed. Hinata was about to talk to teammate once more but she felt her teachers arm rest on her shoulder. Anko merely shook her head and told the Hyuga to remain silent while Ino continued her doomed to fail attempts. With each failure at dispelling the technique Ino added more and more effort and power into ridding herself of the illusion. Additionally, each failure added to her frustration as well before it became too much for her.

"Ok, what the fuck is going on!" Ino yelled, having had enough of this and wanting it to end. "How do you get rid of the damn thing?"

"Have you tried pressing on the yes?" Naruto asked and merely got a look from her that said, 'Are you stupid?'

"It's an illusion, Naruto. You can't touch illusions," Ino stated as a matter of fact. To emphasize her point Ino pressed on the yes and expected her hand to go through the floating text box. "See - WHOLLY SHIT!" Ino freaked out as she unexpectedly felt solid matter.

Soon the textbox disappeared and Ino was staring in disbelief as she began seeing textboxes appear in front of her above the heads of Anko, Hinata, Hottomaru, and Naruto. Neither she nor Hinata had time to react before Naruto said something else and soon her world was temporarily blinded by a white flash. Ino then found herself in Training Field Nine but unlike the one used for her Genin test this one had the appearance of a rougher terrain. The area had dryer ground, arid air and lots of bushes and rocks.

"Where the hell are we?!" Ino was seriously starting to freak out. Being from a ninja clan that went back generations, nearing five hundred years, Ino knew that as a ninja she'd have to expect for the unexpected. But even this was pushing it to a whole other level.

"Relax-" Naruto began before was cut off by the Yamanaka.

"Don't tell me to relax, blondie!" was the girl's response. "I'm freaking out here! Where the fuck are we and what did you do!? And don't think I won't pick apart that peanut sized brain of yours if you don't answer me!"

" _Damn, the girl's got spunk,_ " Anko was seriously going to have fun teaching some of her more "fun and squeal like a pig" techniques to the Yamanaka.

"We're in Training Area Nine," Naruto decided to elaborate as Ino made to use her clan technique, "the dungeon equivalent of it that is."

"Dungeon equivalent… what the hell are you talking about?" was her heated reply.

"Look I don't know how or actually care how I got it but somehow I have the ability to live my life like a video game," he stated. Both Ino and Hinata remained silent for a good moment before Ino burst out laughing. However, it wasn't a mirthful one.

"You're saying you got a video game bloodline limit? Right," Ino drawled, "… and Hinata here is secretly a sadist with a tight leather fetish, who gives out spankings," Hinata blushed bright red at that.

"Hmm, didn't know you were kinky, Pale Eyes," Anko smirked and Hinata blushed even further and Anko could tell she was on the verge of fainting.

"THIS IS SERIOUS!" Ino shouted, "Where are we and how the fuck do we get back!" the girl barked out. The action was soon met by a slap courtesy of Anko. The young blonde felt her eyes begin to water as the stinging sensation was felt across her face.

"Can it, Ino!" Anko had enough of the girl's hysterics and the other three members of the team knew the woman was being serious when she forwent the use of her nickname. "Shit like this will happen again in the future and you damn well better come to terms with it if you wanna make it as a kunoichi!"

The stern and no nonsense attitude she displayed threw both Ino and Hinata for a loop. Gone was the provocative and teasing mentor who liked to torture and make fun. In front of Ino was an experienced ninja was not tolerating her Genin's attitude over something minor. In Anko's mind it could have been a hell of a lot worse and the fact Ino was freaking out when nothing bad happened was not gonna sail.

"You're ok, right?" Anko asked and Ino hesitantly nodded. "No burns, cuts, or dismemberment?" once again the girl nodded, "Then quit your bellyaching and woman up, kunoichi! I've seen worse and lived through more hellish experiences than this flimsy crap, no offense gaki," Naruto merely shrugged.

"If you can't handle this then how the hell are you expected to take on more challenging missions?" Anko asked and Ino was left speechless.

" _There's a first for everything,_ " Naruto internally chuckled though couldn't keep the smirk off his face. Something Hinata noticed and idle wondered what it was about.

"For now deal with it as best you can. You don't see Hinata complaining or going nuts," she pointed and Anko had to give the Hyuga girl some praise. The woman honestly thought Hinata would have freaked out instead of the Yamanaka heiress. " _Then again she and the gaki both had traumatic upbringings compared to Ino. Guess that made her a little tougher than I thought."_

As she pondered this, Anko spotted her other ward taking in deep breaths and massaging her forehead. Anko was curious to see them glow a very light blue before she realized it was chakra. " _Must be that Yamanaka technique Inoichi uses,_ " Anko observed.

She only worked with the man on the very odd occasion but noted that during extremely stressful or traumatic situations he would perform the same thing. Anko surmised the technique helped the two calm down and start thinking rationally. No other clan she knew of had a deeper understanding of the mind than the Yamanaka Clan. However, despite their mental fortitude and resilience, they themselves were not immune to the psychological trauma that affected them. They had a greater tolerance for that sort of thing compared to others, but not immune.

Seeing some movement in the bushes to her left, Anko smirked, "Look alive, kiddoes. You're about to see some action."

With his **Detection Skill** Naruto knew where it was coming from before Anko said anything and spotted where the creature. Naruto had never really seen a scorpion before except in video games. Even then he knew their appearance had been somewhat romanticized by the artists. The creature before him was large, not quite as large as Hottomaru was in his adult form but large enough still. It had wicked pincers that looked like they could chop off a limb if enough pressure was added. Naruto also noted that its barbed tail was oozing with a green viscous liquid liquid that was not doubt the poison.

" **Observe!** " he announced, just as Hinata and Ino finally spotted the creature.

 **Scorpion Drone – Lv 14**

 **HP: 900**

 **CP: 375**

 **STR: 35**

 **VIT: 36**

 **DEX: 49**

 **INT: 15**

 **WIS: 8**

 **LUK: 20**

 **Defense: 75**

 **Perks:**

 **Harsh Resistance** : +30% resistance towards Futon and Katon Ninjutsu

 **Tenacious:** Ignores negative status effects such as Burning, or Bleeding when health drops below 30%, Movement Speed increases by 70% when below 30% health

 **Hard Shell:** +30 Defense, +30% resistance towards bladed and piercing weapons, +30% resistance towards Critical Strikes, and -30% resistance towards blunt weapons and taijutsu

 **Description:** Drones are at the very bottom of the hierarchy but one shouldn't be fooled despite their large size. Though the weakest they have an incredible ability to camouflage themselves and strike their prey with their poison filled stinger. They are also known for rapidly digging through the earth and popping up unexpectedly or when they have recovered from their injuries.

 **EXP Earned: 178**

 **Drops: ?, ?**

"Great," Naruto grumbled. Kenjutsu was out it would seem and Naruto was kicking himself for not buying a new blunt weapon when he had the chance. While his Taijustu was good and maxed out, Naruto had the impression it wouldn't be enough. With his busy schedule he had yet to find another taijutsu fighting style. The academy style was generic, and while it had some good techniques, Naruto knew it was gonna be useless against experienced taijutsu foes.

His Elemental ninjutsu arsenal was also not going to be of much help either seeing as how his main techniques were all wind and fire based. Sure they would still do damage, but not as much. Using Clone Great Explosion was an option as it was based on the amount of chakra in the clone and his proficiency in it. But unlike regular Kage Bunshin the technique didn't return the leftover chakra as it was the reason behind the explosion.

"Guess I need to rely on Taijutsu and my other skills. **Ninpo: Goriki** (Ninja Art: Hard Strength)!" Naruto activated the skill and felt a surge of power flow through his body.

The boy soon followed up with Shunshin and appeared above the Scorpion Drone, " **Banrai** (Heavy Thunder)!"

Naruto struck out at the insect with all his might. Though it wasn't quick enough to dodge, it managed to block the full force of the attack with its armoured pincers. While it was nice tactic that prevented the foe from loosing a bunch of health, everyone could see a decent crack forming on the claw carapace.

" _Damn!"_ Ino thought. Another good blow or two and that thing would be without arms. Then they'd only need to worry about its stinger.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata warned him. The Hyuga noticed the scorpion's tailed twitched and no sooner had she shouted out did it shoot forward. Naruto managed to dodge the venom filled appendage but was surprised to see the cracks forming on the ground. The blond also spotted a nasty green fume rising from it too and could hear some sizzling as well.

"He's lucky. That thing's capable of delivering corrosive poison," Ino commented, her eyes not once leaving the area of impact. Being from a clan that had knowledge on plant life and poisons since it founding several centuries ago allowed her to identify such things. Corrosive poisons were nasty pieces of work. They basically turned one's insides into goo. A person was both lucky and unlucky if they got hit by a slow acting one. Chances of saving the limb were high but the pain was dreadful from what she heard.

"Hey, are you two just gonna stand there and gawk or actually help your teammate?" Anko asked. "Cuz if you are then good luck defending yourself in the future. The gaki ain't always gonna be around to save your asses."

Knowing it was true, Ino and Hinata prepared themselves and waited for an opening to strike. Neither one of them had the brute strength that Naruto or Hottomaru possessed but they were nimble and quick. They both had clan techniques but Ino knew it would be useless at the moment. Other than clan techniques, of which she only knew a couple, Ino had no alternative, "Duck and cover!"

Naruto complied as a hailstorm of shuriken came flying in to strike the large mutation. Though the action proved useless as he saw them bounce off the scorpion with little to no damage done. Ino though merely smirked, held up a hand seal, and watched as the hidden Exploding Tags explode. The action had the effect she wanted. The creature's legs were crippled, and its left pincer was missing.

As quick as she could, Hinata moved in and, though hesitant, struck several times on the creature's head. The scorpion twitched for a second or two before it finally slumped down and evaporated into a shower of light particles.

"What the hell! The scorpion just disappeared!"

"Jeez, blondie, tone it down will ya," Anko ordered but was ignored as Ino ranted some more.

"No, you don't get it. The scorpion just fucking disappeared! All that's left are its … body parts?" Ino continued before she inspected the loot. As she grabbed it, a window come up and described the item much to her confusing, "What the hell?"

"Calm down, Ino. Sheesh, you'd swear you never played a video game before," Naruto thought the girl's reaction a little much really. From what he had learned from Anko Chakra Mutations were real and not only did they occasional leave behind something but also decomposed very quickly compared to normal creatures.

But in most cases they weren't as frequent and the decomposition wasn't anywhere near as instantaneous or as frequent as his dungeon creatures. The things they dropped as well weren't as high quality or as useful either. Mostly what was found were rusty old kunai, shuriken, claws or small lumps of fur that could barely be used for anything, "Dungeons monsters are known to drop weird shit from time to time."

"First off, I never played video games. Never got into it. And with my clan duties and working at the flower shop I spent most of my time off doing other things. Secondly, define: weird shit?" Ino was still trying to wrap her head around this whole ordeal.

"Varies, but sometimes you can find useful items, weapons or even money," seeing Ino's look Anko held up her hand, "Don't ask. We still don't know how it works. Personally, I think these things don't bother to chew and swallow their food whole or it's just part of how the gaki's ability works. But enough chit chat! We were assigned to rid this training area of scorpions and we ain't leaving until we do … so get to work!"

Ino grumbled but got back to work along with Hinata. Finding out about Naruto's weird ability had made her both skeptical and curious. She was left speechless when Part of her still found it amazing that Naruto had such an ability in the first place. " _Guess it explains how he got better so fast_ ," Ino frowned though and the girl realized that the ability was only half the answer. The blonde gossip knew that Naruto would have had to put in the time and effort to get where he was today. Sure, the Gamer ability as he called it played a role but Naruto had to do his part in order to improve, too.

"Hold up a sec," Ino realized something, "You said these things drop money?"

"Well, yeah?" Naruto shrugged as though it was no big deal. "Sometimes a dungeon will have a treasure chest in it or have some loot that sells for a lot of money."

"Huh-huh, how much we talking here?" Ino was very interested in this at the moment. "I don't know. Depends on what you find," here Ino and Hinata saw him take out a chunk of metal. "This here's my most expensive loot."

"A hunk of rock?" Ino looked skeptical.

"That hunk of rock if processed into its purest form can set him and four generations of his family up for a life of luxury, Blondie," Anko cackled as she saw Ino's jaw threatening to hit the ground. With this information Ino made some mental calculations and quickly crunched some numbers before her eyes changed into ryo signs.

" _Oh, crap! Another Anko!_ " one was enough in Naruto's mind. A second one originating as Ino was not something he wanted to live through. "As I said to her: Get your own!"

"Trust me, gaki, ninety five percent of the time you'll be flocked by women if they think you're loaded," Anko stated and Hinata subconsciously frowned as she heard those words.

" ** _Not if I have anything to say about it,_** " she thought before it dawned on her that she actually had such a thought in the first place.

"Arf arf! Grrrrr!" the group looked at Hottomaru and spotted the ninken growling as a scorpion made their way towards them. Just as they prepared to attack, Hinata gasped, "Ino-chan look-"

Hinata didn't get the chance to finish as another scorpion burst out from the ground in back of Ino. Before she could react, Ino found herself speared by the scorpions stinger before she was flung away into a tree. Both Naruto and Hinata looked on in horror as their teammate struck the tree with a vicious impact. Their fears were put to rest however as the body poofed into a skewered log.

" **Shintenshin no Jutsu** (Mind Body Switch Technique)!" they heard Ino announce. Soon the scorpion seized its hostile and aggressive movements towards Naruto and Hinata.

"I…Ino-chan?" Hinata asked and was surprised when the scorpion nodded. "Are you alright?"

" _I feel like I gained five hundred pounds,"_ Ino thought. The blonde honestly did not care at all for her new look. " _At least this thing's mind is easy enough to control,_ " compared to trying to take over Anko's mind this was a walk in the park really.

" _Not bad, Blondie,"_ Anko approved of her student's quick thinking. " _Now let's see how well you execute it."_

Anko watched as her students, and Naruto's ninken, make their move on the on the creature. Anko didn't need to be blind to see how sluggish Ino's new body was as it moved. Yamanaka often taught their children how to control the body of animals and humans as best they could before their first combat scenario.

Though, the choice of different animals the clan was willing to use was sparse in Konoha. More often Anko heard that they took over the body of the Nara Clan's deer and maybe the occasional bird or dog. Ino was now learning just how difficult it was to control and move the body of an insect such as this.

"Hey, Blondie, move that giant ass of yours!" Anko shouted as Hinata, Naruto, and Hottomaru attack the scorpion.

The woman spotted the possessed insect's tail twitch ever so slightly and the woman seriously thought she had been flipped off by her student. " _Girl's ballsy, but she ain't that ballsy,_ " Anko thought it to be her mind over thinking it. Though part of her, a small one, thought Ino had been ballsy enough.

Anko watched as Ino finally made her move and struck out with the stinger. Not being accustomed to the body, Ino accidentally put too much force into the attack. The action hit home and skewered the enemy scorpion's brains but the force greatly shoved the corpse into Naruto.

"Ow! Hey, watch it!" he began to shout at the possessed scorpion. Though his anger was short lived as he saw the large creature on its backside and was struggling to right itself. "Need a hand?"

If the scorpion could glare Naruto knew it would have. In the end, Ino decided to release her hold on the creature and with its helpless position was left at the mercy of the team.

As time went by, the group managed to kill five more drones before Anko stopped them. "Ok, so far not too bad. Though not great either," here she looked at Ino and Hinata. "So far what you two learned?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ino asked.

"I mean what have you learned about yourselves?" Anko elaborated.

In a heartbeat, Ino knew the answer to what the woman was referring to, "We're weak?"

"Part of it, but what else? What do you two have in common?" Anko asked her other female student.

"Ano… our specialization?" Hinata stated and Anko nodded.

"Bingo. Except for taijutsu nothing else is really effective on these guys. Despite the improvement you've shown in two weeks you're still lagging behind. Your clan ninjutsu will only get you so far, Ino. Sure you can control and take others over but the whole process is sloppy if it's foreign, really. You need to be quicker at understanding and adapting. I ain't an expert but I know what happens to a Yamanaka if the host body's killed."

Ino winced and paled lightly as she contemplated that. While Naruto, ignorant of the concept, was curious, "What happens, Anko-sensei?"

"Simple, gaki, they die or their minds shatter. Personally, death is the better choice in my opinion," Anko hadn't seen but she heard stories on such cases. It wasn't pretty apparently. "Back to the topic at hand, you two are too specialized in a particular field, with Hinata's clan focusing too much attention in taijutsu and with your clan in ninjutsu, Ino. In the real world, the more you know, the better chances of surviving. That's why I've been teaching you what you know so far before we move on the big stuff. Think of this as wake up call. Others don't really get a second chance," all three knew she spoke the truth.

So far they were lucky to experience this dungeon as it was eye opening and nowhere as intense as fighting people. In the ninja world, hesitation or being unsure on the battlefield was basically signing your own death sentence. It was kill or be killed, or worse. Better to get over it now than when it was too late.

Anko had heard from Kurenai that with Hinata the Hyuga underwent a right of passage or coming of age to prove their worth as ninja known as the Rabbit Test. It was a test similar to the former academy Rite. A Hyuga child was to take care of a rabbit for a month or so before being forced to kill it. To some it was cruel, and in a matter of speaking it was, but it was a necessary evil.

The Hyuga Clan didn't consider a clan member a true shinobi if they could not kill. Hinata had been forced to do the same, and though she succeeded it was with great reluctance and with a heavy heart. Being who she was Kurenai had suspected that a part of her had died alongside her beloved pet. With Ino Anko didn't know if the girl had dealt with such a thing but Anko was happy to see she was dealing with it. Though part of her knew she'd have to keep an eye out just in case. The woman had the distinct impression the girl still thought it to be an impressive and elaborate illusion and everything was not real.

"Ok, then. Back to work, kiddoes, we got scorpions to get rid of."

For the next couple of hours or so, the genin and ninken of Team Eight continued to defeat scorpion after scorpion. Ino and Hinata were doing decently against the lower tier enemies. Ino would take over one or cripple it with some **Minor Exploding Seal Tags** , allowing Hinata the chance to finish it off with some well placed Juken strikes. Hinata was nowhere as proficient in her clan fighting style compared to others, especially her sister and older cousin. However, the Hyuga was proficient enough to know where to strike to cause a lot of internal damage to the scorpions' organs.

Naruto was somewhat envious as though **Observe** he discovered that the Hyuga's fighting style allowed them to bypassed an opponent's defense all together bar the few exceptions. Naruto knew could have the best armour in the world and it still wouldn't be enough to save him from the "love taps" that Anko so affectionately called them.

But despite this the two were nowhere strong enough to deal with the higher level ones such as the **Giant Scorpions.** The creatures proved to be a great difficulty for them to deal with due to being level 21. Even with Ino being level 13 and Hinata now being level 14, thanks to Naruto's ability levelling them up more quickly, both were still weak compared to the now level 19 Naruto. As such Naruto and Hottomaru were more or less left with handling the stronger foes.

" **Ryoko Boku** (Power Strike)!" Naruto shouted and watched as the top of the **Giant Scorpion** tail become severed. The action had proven to be difficult since these creatures were more resilient to bladed weapons than the **Drones** and **Soldiers.** But it was worth it as it was now no longer capable of using its poison.

The **Giant Scorpions** lived up to their name as they were enormous, easily being the size of a large horse, if not more so. They were slower than their other counterparts but made up for it with higher HP, as well as their strength and defense. Their poison was also much more deadly as well as it rotted a large tree within seconds.

"ARFFF!" Hottomaru barked and pounced on the creature's back and using his greater strengths attempted to find a hold on the hard chitinous insect like armor to create a weak point. The scorpion wouldn't give him an easy time though as it began to thrash around and attempt to throw the same sized beast off it.

So distracted was it in its thrashing did lose track of Naruto. The blond haired Gamer creature eight clones of himself and each of them moved in for the kill. Before it had time to react, all eight clones each grabbed a leg and began to pull with all their might. The scorpion was putting up quite the resistance and Naruto knew he didn't have enough strength, even with **Goriki,** to pull the legs out. But that wasn't his intent.

The clones continued to pull and finally managed to straighten out some of the appendages out. " **Gawara Saiken** (Tile Crushing Fist)!" the clones shouted and with one arm performed a vicious chop that struck the immobile limbs. The scorpion let out a pain filled wail as it felt some of its legs break or become impaired.

"Oh, shut up!" Naruto shouted from above as he struck with **Banrai** (Heavy Thunder) on the creature's head. Having been thrown by one of his clones had increased his momentum and thus increased the technique's overall power. Naruto was glad to see the creature finally evaporate in a shower of light.

 **!Qualifications to face the dungeon boss are now met!**

"Finally," Naruto huffed and directed his clones to protect Ino and Hinata as the group felt the earth shake and rumble. Naruto had no intention of losing his teammates on his first C-Rank.

"Get ready you two," he heard Anko advise Ino and Hinata. "This is where the fun begins."

No sooner had she said those words did the boss finally reveal itself. "What the hell?" Naruto had seen weird creatures but this took the cake so far. The creature was odd looking to say the least. Compared to its weaker but normal looking minions the boss had a more atypical body structure one would not associate with a scorpion.

To start, its body color was black and yellow, similar to a wasp or hornet. And instead of its normal eight legged limbs it had six limbs that ended in claw like appendages, with the pincers replacing the front legs and vice versa. What was even stranger was the pincers moving back and forth as though they had a will of their own. Upon closer observation, Naruto noticed the pincers looked more so like eyeless heads with black jagged teeth. The scorpion's head itself looked more crocodilian than insect.

"Oh, boy," Naruto was a little concerned at the moment.

 **Boss: Scorpion Abomination "Dakatsu" – Lv 25**

 **HP: 3400**

 **CP: 1200**

 **STR: 115**

 **VIT: 136**

 **DEX: 67**

 **INT: 48**

 **WIS: 20**

 **LUK: 38**

 **Defense: 165**

 **Perks:**

 **Harsh Resistance** : +50% resistance towards Futon and Katon Ninjutsu

 **Tenacious:** Ignores negative status effects such as Burning, or Bleeding when health drops below 50%, Movement Speed increases by 70% when below 30% health

 **Spiked Shell:** +75 Defense, +60% resistance towards bladed and piercing weapons, Spiked Shell causes damage if struck by taijutsu, +60% resistance towards Critical Strikes, and -20% resistance towards blunt weapons

 **Description:** A very large mutant and deadly creature with a deadly poison. This creature's origin began like many of its kind in the desert. However, it somehow managed to mutate and merge with another creature, physically changing it moreso than its brothers and sisters. As a result it has gained a greater defense and has a spiked shell that prevents others from attacking it physically least they wish to harm themselves. Though slow compared to its minions it's capable of digging very quickly and performing sudden unexpected attacks.

 **EXP Earned: ?**

 **Drops: ?, ?, ?, ?**

" _Ah, shit,"_ Naruto chanced a look behind him, all the while not taking his eyes off the boss.

Both Ino and Hinata were on the verge of exhaustion and had been pushed to their limits, and more. With Anko's intense training their stamina and endurance had improved, but it had only been a couple of weeks and they still had a while to go. This being their first real live combat situation where they were pushed past their limits and forced to use various techniques more times than they were used to. Naruto knew he needed to end this quickly but needed to make preparations before setting them out. First however he was forced to dodge as the boss attacked him with its serpentine pincers. The blond watched as it effortlessly as it crushed a boulder like an ice cube.

"Hotto, keep Ino, Hinata safe!" Naruto ordered and got a bark as a response. If either one were caught in its grip they'd be done for.

"What the hell, Naruto!" Ino began to shout but was stopped midway.

"Don't argue, Ino!" the sternness behind his voice surprised her. "Both of you are exhausted. If you slip up you die. I'm not going to let that happen!"

"But… but Naruto!" Hinata did not like this one bit.

"No buts! Don't go anywhere near it. If you wanna help then cover me!" he ordered.

"The gaki's right. You did good but you ain't gonna be able to do anything other than cover fire at the moment," Anko was proud of the two. Both had looked like they wanted to keel over quite a while ago but had pushed themselves. Anko knew they knew her previous advice rang true. Naruto wouldn't always be there to help them. They need to push past their boundaries and grow or fall.

"You wanna help then do that," Anko beamed as she saw them nod and take out a serious of kunai and shuriken. It wouldn't be much, but it was better than nothing at the moment.

Naruto dodged once more before he launched a kick at the serpentine pincer that threatened to sever him in half or worse. The action rewarded him with the appendage smacking itself into the creature's face and dazing it momentarily. Luckily the pincers didn't really have spikes on them compared to the main body so Naruto avoiding harm from using taijutsu. Even then the boy was still cursing himself for not buying another blunt weapon.

Launching a **Hosenka** at the beast, despite it not being as effective, Naruto saw the creature narrow its eyes at him in anger. " _Well, part one is over with_ ," now came the tricky part. With the boss's attention now solely on him, Naruto ran further away from the group to put his plan into motion. However, the blond hit a snag when he saw it heading the other way towards Ino and Hinata. "Shit!"

The two kunoichi countered by pelting the boss with shuriken and kunai laced with exploding tags. With the clones by their side assisting them with **Reppusho** to increase the power and speed and their accuracy despite their near exhaustion it proved effective in halting the boss. However, soon it began digging downwards and was then out of sight.

"Oh, no," Naruto was worried and so was Anko. Neither one could see where it was nor sense where it was either. A split second in the ninja world was all it took to end a fight and Naruto couldn't afford that.

BAKRAMM!

An eruption of earth beneath him was all the warning Naruto got as he felt himself launched upwards. The boy grunted as he felt himself cut by the spikes and knew he lost a bit of health from the move. It was only made worse as a green mist was spewed from **Dakatsu's** mouth and made its way towards him.

Naruto knew it was deadly and had no intention of feeling its affects on him. " **Futon: Dai Reppusho no Justu** (Wind Release: Great Gale Palm Technique)!" the technique had the desired effect of propelling him away and dispersing the poison mist as well. Landing on the ground with as much grace he had, Naruto rushed towards the boss and prepared his next technique.

Sucking in an incredibly large amount of air into his lungs and compressing it as best and as long as he could, Naruto waited until the boss was almost upon him. Anko saw this and made to move just as Naruto unleashed his technique, "" **Futon: Shishisenkou no Jutsu** (Wind Release: Lion's Battle Roar Technique)!"

An enormous predatory bellow rang out on the field. The winds howled and the trees swayed in great defiance as the great pressure from the powerful gales swept across the field. The silhouette of a lion's head was seen as the technique was called out and viciously, furiously slammed into the face of the dungeon boss. The proximity and power behind the technique not only forced the creature back several feet and more but also rendered the creature dazed and sluggish.

With great effort as the technique had placed a great amount of strain on him, Naruto Body Flickered away and called out his order, "NOW!"

Anko, much like Ino and Hinata, was surprised and star struck as she watch four of Naruto's clones unleash a massive torrent of flames in the shape of a bird. The other clones she saw add fuel to the fire, literally, by using **Dai Reppusho**. As the wind fanned the flames into an almost white color, Anko cackled like a mad woman as she watched the creature become engulfed in the flames.

Even with the distance between them and the hot zone the group could feel the intense heat affect them. It was evident that Naruto had hidden some things from her and in true shinobi fashion had put the unexpected to good use. As the flames died down, even though some of the surrounding flora was still alight with fire, the group spotted the form of the scorpion still standing there.

"Are you fucking kidding me! How is that thing alive?" Ino was certain Naruto's overkill technique would have taken care of the damn thing. The fact he knew such a powerful technique was pushed aside for now as Ino prepared for the boss's next move.

Naruto scowled, as he too had thought his technique would have ended it. With how much he had levelled up the technique and with four clones using it and an additional four enhancing it he was certain it should have ended it. Mimicking Ino, Naruto prepared for what was to come before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax," Anko was smiling and motioned her head towards the boss. Looking on in confusion at first, the genin members of Team Eight cheered as they saw the dungeon boss move before its body finally went down. Naruto released a sigh of relief before he could not hold it in and began laughing. The action was soon joined by his teammates.

All three and Hottomaru were covered in cuts and had quite a few nasty bruises in several areas but they were happy nonetheless that the scorpion monstrosity finally met its end. It had cost him a large amount of chakra, and both Ino and Hinata looked ready to call it a day, but it had been worth it in the end.

However, as he got up to collect the loot, Naruto suddenly seized his celebration, "Hold up. Something's wrong," he stated.

"What are you talking about? The thing's dead as doornail. What's there to be worried about?" Ino didn't see what the problem was.

Hinata was inclined to agree with her before she too realized something was amiss, "But… don't they usually disappear?" Hinata interjected. Hinata was still new to this but so far all the other scorpions they defeated ended up disappearing and leaving behind items. The girl didn't know if bosses were any different but from the way Naruto was reacting she knew to trust his judgment.

Realizing she spoke true, Anko added her own two cents, "The Gaki and Pale Eyes are right, Blondie," Anko confirmed and Ino growled at the nickname, "Something ain't right."

As an added measure, Naruto struck out at the scorpion's charred head and was splattered with vile green ichor and gore in the process. "Ok, this thing's definitely dead. So why-"

 **!WARNING!WARNING!**

 **|A POWERFUL FOE HAS ENTERED THE DUNGEON!|**

"Gaki," Anko asked and wondered what was going on. Anko was only slightly worried. She and Naruto, and Hottomaru could most likely handle themselves but Ino and Hinata were still fresh to this ordeal and weakened by the battle. While it was true that ninja needed to prepare and expect for the unexpected Anko also didn't want any of her students to get seriously hurt or die. Much like with the other creatures, Anko was going to let them sort it out but the woman would interfere if she needed to.

"Shit," Naruto cursed and verified his suspicion as to what was happening. "Fuck! This field is classified as unstable!" Naruto was kicking himself for not paying attention to that.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!" Ino shouted and kept her guard up. The answer to her question suddenly popped up in front of the unprepared team of newly graduates.

 **Unstable Dungeon Effect**

 **Bar the few exceptions, Natural Dungeons compared to Instant Dungeon Creations are known to only have one species of creature within it. However, in some cases, dungeons with the Unstable Effect will spawn another creature. What this creature will be is unknown but usually it is a formidable foe. Fighting them is optional but not without consequences as they will feast on dungeons bosses. While the EXP will still be gained, as a result this will end with the drops that are being taken away.**

 **Additionally, beating the powerful creature will also add to the reward and experience gained or even cause a chain quest to occur in the future with unique rewards and better experience.**

"Fuck! Are you kidding me!" it was clear as day that Ino was not liking the situation one bit. The girl was exhausted and like Hinata her chakra reserves were verging on empty. Naruto's reserves were below half as well thanks to his latest techniques. As it was things weren't looking good.

The fight was over but another had just begun.

 **Sorry for the very late update. Work and school got in the way along with a few other things. Good news is that I now have 3000 words ready for the next chapter which will be out this week as I am on break. Also go to Michma13 on deviantart and go the journal called Uzumaki Naruto: Dawn of Gamer Pic links to get a better idea of what the enemies, items, and characters look like. Espicially the armor and boss of this chapter.**

 **Just letting you all know the Powerful Foe is a creature, not a Gamer, Abyss character or that kinda of crap. And it will play an important role down the line. Also several things that happened in this chapter will be explained in the next.**

 **And with that being said, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and enjoy this late Christmas gift! Please give tons of reviews, 80-90, and i'll post next Friday.**


	19. Chapter 19

Hi, guys. The Author Note has been moved here.

I don't know what's going on with Fanfiction. At the moment some authors can't answer messages or reviews. Not only that I'm getting complaints that not everyone can see the new chapter for some reason and some can't post a review. I really hoped they had fixed this as it was why I postponed the update with chapter 19. **Dragonslayer** has been updated but I can't even read the new chapter thanks to the bug. It's one of my favourite reads and this thing's preventing me from enjoying it.

Once again there's a bug in the system. I had hoped they fixed a while back and I hope they **permanently** fix it as soon as possible, if not then the update for the new chapter will have to be delayed. I'm sorry guys. Blame Fanfiction or whatever is causing the bug. I'm just letting you all know so everyone's informed. You have to be mad, I am too. It's starting to piss me off a bit. This author note will be taken down either tonight or tomorrow morning. In the mean time, enjoy chapter 19, I guess. That's all I have to say.

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Shake It Off!**

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto called out and over a dozen clones came into being as they surrounded both Ino and Hinata. Naruto knew the two were weak, tired, and low on chakra at the moment. As it was, Naruto knew only he and Hottomaru would be facing the creature. The blond didn't doubt that Anko would step in if she had to either. So far she only let them deal with scorpions because that was all that was expected of them to face.

This "powerful foe" was an unseen and unknown variable.

However, Naruto being Naruto wasn't going to back down from a fight. While Anko pounded into his thick skull on how to choose his battles, old habits died hard. But Naruto wasn't one to put his friends in danger either and would retreat if it meant them living. " _Live today, fight tomorrow,"_ he recalled Anko telling him.

The thought suddenly became the last thing on his mind as the ground began to shake violently. All five were forced to cover their eyes as a creature suddenly exploded out of the earth. Rock and dirt was thrown about and covered the field like a miniature sandstorm.

"Gahh!" a yell of pain was suddenly heard and all three Genin knew it came from their teacher. All of them yelled out to her to see if she was okay only to spot her flying towards Naruto and crash into the young blond.

"Ow," the boy muttered at the sudden impact of Anko body slamming into him. The dirt blinding his vision and the speed in which it all happened hampered his reaction time.

"Thanks, gaki," Anko said but immediately winced as felt a pain in her side, "Shit! Damn rib probably got bruised or cracked!" she winced once more. The thing was fast and powerful and judging from the sneak attack it just pulled it was intelligent as well.

"Grrrrrr!" the group heard Hottomaru's growl to be one when faced against a strong enemy.

All off them prepared for the worst as the cloud of dirt disappeared. When it did, Naruto and Anko narrowed their eyes while Ino and Hinata's widened. The creature was very tall, long and powerfully built. Its skin was a dull green while its claws were as black as the abyss. "A lizard?" was the best way Ino could describe it.

Her description of the creature was spot on. Bare a few difference, before them was indeed a lizard like creature. Naruto didn't bother to take any chances and used **Observe** on the beast. Part of him wished he hadn't when the group saw the results.

* * *

 **Unknown Chakra Mutation: Unknown – Lv 35?**

 **HP: 4700?**

 **CP: 1500?**

 **STR: 154?**

 **VIT: 157?**

 **DEX: 129?**

 **INT: 40?**

 **WIS: 38?**

 **LUK: 69?**

 **Defense: 135?**

 **Special Perk:**

 **? : ?**

 **Perks:**

 **? : ?**

 **? : ?**

 **? : ?**

 **Status Effect:**

 **? : ?**

 **Description:** A very large monitor lizard looking chakra mutation. Not much is known about this savage flesh-eating lizard other than it not to be dealt with lightly. Its rough skin offers it protection from many forms of attack, however; its skin is much softer on its stomach and therefore more vulnerable. Despite its incredible size this creature is quite fast, capable of burrowing underground in seconds, and host a number of dangerous and lethal weapons such as its bite, claws and tail. For some reason or another though there is something odder about this chakra mutation than others. Why is that?

 **EXP Earned: ?**

 **Drops: ?, ?, ?**

* * *

"Oh, shit," Naruto didn't like this at all. Especially since the damn thing had a multitude of question marks on its stats and in its perks. It was similar to Anko's status window in a way and Naruto knew this didn't bode well for either of them.

As he eyed the beast Naruto wondered if they should retreat. He had expected a powerful foe but not one that was ten levels higher than the Scorpion Boss. It wasn't the same as facing the Legion Zombie either. Where as the Zombie Boss was slow, stupid, and a walking target for his attacks Naruto had the distinct impression this wasn't going to be the case with this thing. If he were in better shape and had more chakra it would be different. His **HP** was still pretty high and thanks to his frequent visit to the Zombie Dungeon and his **Master Zombie Slayer** title he had a ton of **Minor** **Grade Health Potions** and three **Medium Grade Health Potions** to help him recover lost health. Too bad it did squat for **Fatigue.**

As he looked at Anko, who looked at a tired Ino and Hinata that were being protected by a bunch of clones, Naruto knew the woman was contemplating if they should stay or not. "Gaki. I think-"

 **|REPEL THE POWERFUL FOE TO CLEAR THE DUNGEON!|**

"…Well, that's convenient," he heard her mutter. "Gaki, what do we have to do to repel it?" she asked.

"If it's anything like the games I've played then we need to bring its health down below fifty percent or more," Naruto informed her.

The Jonin instructor of Team Eight nodded before she looked at her other students, "Ino, Hinata, you two give us cover fire!" Anko silently cursed that Midori wasn't with them at the moment. While the serpent was faithful to Anko she wasn't with her twenty four seven like many believed and occasionally left to do her own thing. " _Talk about fucking luck,"_ had Midori been here the fight would have been over quickly and easily.

"Hotto, stay with em!" he ordered and got a bark as a reply. Though stronger than them, even more so in his transformed state, Hottomaru's attacks were purely physical at the moment. Even with him being better at the ability and with his **Ravenous Sin Skill** that allowed him to drain chakra from another being the creature was powerful. Would he put up a good fight? Naruto had not doubt he would and get very injured in the process. At the moment it was best that he looked after Ino and Hinata till their regained their strength.

"Alright, let's do this, gaki!" Anko declared before she strategically charged the creature at speeds Naruto could not match. However, that didn't stop the only male of the team and he soon followed right behind her. The creature itself releasing a loud and vicious hiss before it too charged at them. Its razor sharp claws, easily the size of scythes if not larger, were digging into the ground and leaving wicked trenches in its wake as it made its way towards them.

Anko ducked under a claw swipe with ease and then jumped as it made to bite at her. The woman soared over its back and launched a volley of shuriken laced with her personal poisons with as much strength as she could muster. Unfortunately, the shuriken had little to no effect as most bounced off its hide. Anko landed on a nearby rock formation and was forced to dodge as the lizard used its tail to send several boulders her way. The woman didn't doubt it was done as retaliation for the stunt she pulled.

Granted Anko wasn't the most physically endowed individual compared to others such as Gai, Asuma, and Kakashi but she at least thought it would be enough to cut the creature, " _Guess I need some training of my own._ "

Part of her also knew that if the seal wasn't on her or if she accessed it her strength would increase to the point that cutting the creature up would be child's play. Even if she had any desire to use the dark power of the seal, because of how long it had been since she used it accessing that power would be very difficult. " _Guess I gotta make do,_ " she thought before she quickly prepared for her next move. While the creature was very fast, Anko knew she was faster.

As Anko prepared, Naruto created several clones and charged at creature with his sword out of its sheath. The lizard, however; met the rushing clones before it suddenly performed a spin and whipped out with its tail. Several of the clones were destroyed in the process while others managed to dodge in time. But even then a few were quickly destroyed or forced to continue dodging as it continued its assault. While its DEX was lower than his own, Naruto knew that it was most likely faster. The Gamer didn't doubt the question marks hid the true number and speed of the creature.

It was for this reason why Naruto didn't wish to risk using his most powerful technique. It left him vulnerable, used up a large about of chakra, and with the creature's speed it could easily be dodged or halted before he had the chance to use it. "Guess it's time to do some improv then," he breathed before setting his plan into motion.

Naruto charged at the creature as fast as he could and just as he was upon it, or it upon him, did he use the **Zanzo no Jutsu** (Afterimage Technique) taught to him by Hayate. The creature was momentarily confused when it felt the lack of food in its maw before it was replaced by a sharp pain in its back left leg.

" **Gigetsu no Mai** (Dance of the False Moon)!" Naruto declared and grinned as he finally drew blood. The technique he had used wasn't the most powerful but it was effective. It worked on the principal of feints and counterattacks. In this case, letting the creature think he was attacking a specific spot before evading their strike and then attacking as it was left vulnerable.

" **Ryoku Boku** (Power Strike)! **Ryoku Boku** (Power Strike)! **Ryoku Boku** (Power Strike)!" Naruto declared over and over and continued to slash at the injured appendance. With its rough and tough skin it wasn't easy. Naruto compared the action as that of someone axing a tree with a dull blade. As he tried to get in another blow, Naruto was forced to cross his arms before he was sent sailing through the air. The boy grunted loudly and saw that despite blocking the forceful claw swipe it had still taken a decent 237 of his HP. Losing another 179 when he crashed into a rock formation.

"Ow," he grunted at the pain. He was left with little time to tend to his wound as the creature was quickly making its way to him once more. As he prepared to charge, Naruto was forced to dodge as a large glob of viscous saliva was shot from its mouth. He was soon greeted with the sound and smell of sizzling rock that was melting at an astonishing rate. " _Seriously? What the hell is with the corrosive skills I'm faced with?_ "

As he prepared to dodge the creature's next attack, Naruto saw a myriad of snakes slither and hiss towards the giant lizard abomination at frightening speeds. Many never made it towards the intended target but others did and proceeded to wrap themselves around the lizard's legs. Naruto didn't know what to think of the plan. The snakes wouldn't last long against creature, and his theory was proven correct as he watched it bite, ripe, eat several of the snakes to free itself.

" **Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique)!" Naruto watched as flames suddenly rushed along the serpents before it met with the enemy and its upper legs were set ablaze in the process. The creature thrashed wildly as it tried to rid itself of the flames that licked at its flesh. While the rough skin protected it the flames would still be able to burn it off and make the area more vulnerable to attack.

"Don't just stand there! Get it while it's distracted!" Anko ordered as she made her way towards it.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Naruto told her and with what clones remained charged at the beast once more.

As they were attacking the creature, Ino frowned as she spotted her teammate and teacher unleash techniques and coordinated strikes on the beast. The girl knew that both Anko and Naruto were stronger than her by far. With Anko it was a given as she was a Jonin, but Ino had to begrudgingly admit that Naruto was much stronger than her. Though it was true he had greatly improved his skills in the following months, Ino didn't think they would have improved this much, " _I still can't believe he went from Dead Last to this in such a short time. And here I am being treated like the freakin damsel in distress,_ " she felt useless and Ino hated it.

A couple of weeks ago she would not have minded being like that, especially if Sasuke was involved. Much of that had gone away with Anko literally beating that attitude out of her head. Oh, Ino was nowhere as bad as the other fangirls as she had… decent skills to back herself up and all. But her mindset of relying on a hero or someone to save her had been shattered. While Ino's like for Sasuke remained, the girl knew she couldn't rely purely on others. Ino was fiercely independent but her emotions clouded her judgment like most at the time.

"Ino-san, we have to do something," Hinata said. The Hyuga looked at the two with admiration and envy. Admiration because Naruto had gotten so strong and was doing so well and envy because she was being protected and not doing much to help. The former heiress of the Hyuga clan didn't want to be useless. For so long she struggled, and still did on occasion, but Hinata didn't have any intention of letting that put her team in danger. Being part of a team, especially with the one she admired the most, she was done with being seen as weak.

Ino looked at Hinata and the Yamanaka heiress noticed a small spark that the shy wallflower usually lacked. Though initially stunned, Ino nodded at her female teammate. Ino wasn't going to stand around and do nothing either. "Okay, you guys follow me. Hinata, here's what I need you to do."

As the two left to put their plan in motion, Anko and Naruto continued to strike and land blows on the creature. Currently it dove underground and Anko cursed once more. " _If Midori were her she'd flush that thing out,_ " she thought before throwing in several kunai laced with exploding tags and making the tunnel collapse. The Jonin doubted it would injure the creature but at least it would slow it down or prevent it from using it again.

Naruto for his part tried to sense the creature's location with his Detection Skill. So far he wasn't having much luck and made mental note to improve the skill after this was done.

"GHHHAAARRRR!"

Both Naruto and Anko watched as the roaring creature suddenly burst out of the ground. The action kicking up another small dust storm and sending rocks flying in various directions. The clones Naruto had with him were subsequently destroyed and or sent skidding away harshly from the beast. Naruto had little time to prepare before the creature clamped its dagger filled mouth on his person.

Only for it to feel an enormous amount of pain from the explosion the clone dealt. The real downed Naruto that had been tail lashed by the creature looked on with a shit-eating grin as it writhed in pain. Blood was visible from its mouth and several teeth were chipped or missing. The blond wished that the clone had enough chakra in it to end the fight but with the low amount of chakra he had the result wasn't as lethal as it could have been. He didn't doubt it hurt like hell though.

However, his grin soon left as the creature began to take on a menacing red glow. Its muscles bulged lightly and a few of the cuts it had hissed and evaporated away as though they were healed. Its bloody mouth looked, while still bloody and nasty looking, had noticeably less blood coming out of it. " _Are you shitting me!"_

Anko for her part wasn't liking this either. The former student of Orochimaru had never seen a jinchuriki in action before but had heard stories about them. If she remembered currently the action of tapping into a Biju's power gave one a boost in defense, speed power, and allowed them the ability to perform actions they otherwise could not. While not a jinchuriki the flickering red and menacing glow around the creature was similar to the fights she heard about and Anko was weary. But Anko also noticed something else.

" _It's wincing?_ " True enough while the creature looked stronger it also looked like it was in pain as well judging by the way it was acting. Anko had little time to ponder of this was good or not as the earth behind the creature was lifted. From it a **Giant** **Scorpion** latched on to the lizard's leg and proceeded to jab its stinger repeatedly into it hide. The action eliciting a growl of annoyance, pain, and anger as the lizard tried to snap or fling off the insect.

"BARRKK!" no sooner had it turned its head was the creature greeted with the high spinning form of Hottomaru's **Daitsuga** (Great Over Fang). With the ninken's claw lit aflame the action allowed him to land a deep cut over the creature's eye and face. Drawing blood and making it howl at the stinging and burning sensation.

The ninken didn't stop there though and proceeded to jump on the lizard's back and begin racking and hacking at it with all his might. The lizard, unable to reach Hottomaru or scorpion, bucked like a wild horse in an attempt to throw them off its person.

" **Shotei** (Palm Bottom)!" Anko looked on stunned as Hinata struck at leg where the scorpion was holding on for dear life. The Jonin continued to watch as she stuck on once more again, and again, before the creature's leg went limp and flapped around like a fish out of water.

"GHHHAAARRRR!" the creature roared violently spun around as best it could, using all its might to rid itself of the pest that were harming it. Hinata was struck first and sent flying towards a rock formation. Luckily she was caught by Naruto just in time but the force still had them hit the boulders.

The **Giant Scorpion** was flung away into a tree but by that time Ino had relinquished her hold on the creature as the strain became too much for her. Ino had really pushed herself to maintain control of the creature as it was difficult to manipulate compared to the **Drone Scorpion**. She was thoroughly, utterly exhausted at the moment.

Hottomaru however continued to defy the lizard's attempt of bucking him off. The transformed ninken had no intention of the letting the creature harm its pack and sunk in his teeth and claws even more into the creature's hide. The lizard wouldn't have any of it though as it rolled on its back and thrashed around on some rocks. The action harming the ninken and greatly weakening his hold on it long enough for him to be sent off its back. Hottomaru shakily landed on the ground and reverted back into his smaller form just as the lizard was almost upon it.

" **Ninpo: Dokkaso** (Ninja Art: Toxic Luster Claw)!"

A vile and deadly yellowish green whip sailed through the air as it made its way towards the lizard. Like a red hot knife cutting into warm butter the technique easily ate at the flesh of the creature and left several nasty bites in its wake. The harmful bites made it lose focus and missed the ninken entirely.

Back and forth Anko whipped the creature with his poisonous technique. Never once letting up her assault on the creature that threatened her students. With a final lash the technique took off a section of the creature's tail and caused it to thrash and roll away. The red glow appearing once more and causing the creature to wince and moan in pain.

 **|YOU SUCCEEDED IN REPELLING THE POWERFUL FOE!|**

As she landed, Anko huffed and along with her team watched as the injured lizard hiss angrily at them before it limped on out of the area as fast as it could. The creature had been tough and Anko wondered if she had made the right choice in fighting it instead of high tailing it out of the battlefield. Hinata had a few decent injuries thanks to the severe whiplash caused by that thing's tail. It could have been worse had Naruto not come to her aid. Ino herself looked exhausted and ready to keel over. It didn't take a genius to knew she pushed herself in controlling the scorpion.

Naruto and Hottomaru looked worse for wear and the woman knew that the latter's injuries would have been worse had she not interfered. Even then Anko knew that it was her technique that saved the day. The purpled haired kunoichi was thankful that Naruto had given her the technique so many months ago. It had proven very useful in the fight as it ate at the creature's flesh and severed the thing's tail. Ultimately, the **Dokkasō** was the deciding factor in winning the fight.

"You guys okay?" Anko asked and received a round of groans all around, "Yeah, you guys are fine," she chuckled. Looking towards the dungeon boss, Anko spotted the body disappear into a shower of particles. Seeing several items lying on the ground she made her way towards them and grabbed every single piece of the item that appeared. Other than the key and several plate pieces from the scorpion, Anko was unable to make head or tails of the items. With Naruto being the expert she brought them towards the group and gentled placed them down on the ground.

"Work your magic, gaki. What did we get?" she asked him and Naruto set out by using **Observe** on the items. Through him they were able to see exactly what the items were.

 **Barbed Tail Key**

 **Status Effect: Unlocks Training Area Nine's Treasure Chest**

 **Description: A key that is shaped in the form of a scorpion's tail stinger.**

"Sweet!" the three kunoichi heard Naruto whoop and hazarded a guess that the item was a good one. "Treasure chests generally have a large amount of money in them and other goodies, too," though it now presented a small problem. Splitting the money was easy enough, but who was going to get what?

"What are these?" Ino asked as she held up a pair of gauntlet looking items.

* * *

 **Dakatsu no Kamu (Dakatsu's Bite)** **Rare Quality**

 **Armour/Fist Weapon**

 **Durability 75/75**

 **At first glance it is a seemingly unassuming gauntlet with no extraordinary features or abilities other than its decent protection. However, it takes after its namesake for a reason as the clawed weapon allows for exceptional and painful grappling. Additionally, hidden in the gauntlets are two pair of blades that can suddenly pop out and strike out at a foe. The action is sudden and leaves the opponent with little to no time to react. The blades are not the only things to worry about as they release a corrosive poison that eats away at armor and flesh alike.**

 **Attack Power: 37-51**

 **Requirements: Advanced Academy Taijutsu Mastery**

 **Bonus Stats: +5 STR, 15% increase in Effectiveness towards Taijutsu, +20 Defense, Releases Corrosive Poison**

* * *

Anko released a sharp whistle as she and her team read the description. It certainly was impressive to say the least. But it begged the question on who was going to take it. "You're passing on this one, gaki," Anko informed him and Naruto shrugged. While she saw he was slightly bummed at not getting it there would be better weapons in the future. Naruto already had a weapon too with his Uchigatana so he could pass on this one in her mind. Which left herself, Ino and Hinata, and Anko personally didn't care for the weapon.

" _So which one of you gets it_?" the most logical choice was Hinata of course as her clan specialized in Taijutsu and such a weapon would only compliment her fighting style. But at the same time Anko was trying to prevent them from specializing too much into a particular field. Hinata's Gentle Fist was already deadly as it was and would only get stronger as she got better. Adding the weapon to it would make it more effective but at the same time it was kind of predictable too. She was trying to get them to branch out for a reason after all.

"Congratz, Blondie, they're yours," Ino was stunned as she honestly thought Anko would have given them to Hinata.

"Me! Why?" Ino asked as she received the weapons.

"A Hyuga with a taijutsu weapon is not really original or unpredictable. A Yamanaka however, that's another story."

"But Hinata's Clan-"

"Specializes in Taijutsu, I know and the enemy knows that too!" Anko wasn't surprised really by her reaction. It would take a while before Ino and Hinata came to terms with learning skills that weren't really clan related in some form or another. Years of being taught otherwise didn't exactly go away overnight after all. "Your clan specializes in ninjutsu and as a result many assume you'll be lacking in close combat. Which unfortunately is true in a sense."

The Yamanaka weren't terrible in taijutsu but they weren't well known for it or the greatest in the art either. Anko partially blamed it due to their century old reliance on their teamwork with the Akimichi and Nara. The Akimichi were the muscle and heavy hitters thanks to their physical strengths and body altering ninjutsu. While the Nara were the strategists and ones who ensnared and captured their prey which then allowed the Yamanaka to fuck with their minds. The Yamanaka's were the infiltrators as she heard the more gifted members could take on the mannerisms and habits of whom they took over almost perfectly.

"A ninja is to be unpredictable and be unexpected. After I'm through with you three people and your opponents will be left wondering what the hell is going on," Anko grinned. "But first we need to shape you guys up. So, like I said, take em, Blondie."

Reluctantly, Ino put on the gauntlet like weapons and found to her surprise that they were pretty light, "Wish they came in another color though," Ino muttered.

"Details, details. What's next?" Anko asked.

"A recipe for **Minor Scorpion Corrosive Poison** and two **Minor Grade Scorpion Poison Vials** ," Naruto knew a bit about poisons but wasn't really all that interested in learning anything more than the basics. "Probably best if you or Ino got them," Naruto said.

"How come?"

"Your status windows says you two get an increase bonus when it comes to learning and using poison based skills," Naruto explained.

"Really?" Anko was intrigued. The prospect of knowing what they'd be good at would greatly help her out. "What else do we have?"

Rather than use **Observe** , Naruto merely told them to say **Status Window** and see for themselves. Anko was greatly surprised to see some of the perks she and her kunoichi students had. Naruto's status window wasn't visible at the moment and the woman knew he was trying to hide his jinchuriki status. Learning too much about such an impossible thing in one day could be overwhelming after all.

"Hmm, so my hunch was right on you two," Anko hummed. Hinata as she suspected would become the team medic because of her chakra control levels and the perks she had. Anko didn't care at all for the **Mild-Diffidence** status effect and planned on getting rid of the damned thing as best as she could. Anko would have to be patient though as it wasn't going to be an easy or quick process. But knew that having her learn a skill she'd be good at would help. It was a win-win situation as medics were a valuable part of the team. " _Even with that thing she still managed to buck up and face that thing head on,_ " it made her wonder what she would be like without it.

Ino she noted could be a medic too to a certain extent, more so as a backup, but her gift and forte would be more towards poisons, seduction, and infiltration. Which meant she'd have to up the girl's training in taijutsu and refine her more feminine qualities. Much of the girl's perks mimicked Anko's own so the leader of Team Eight would be able to teach her more than the others. Anko didn't believe in favouritism but she knew how to play with the hand she was dealt.

"Naruto-kun… what are these Attribute Points for?" Hinata asked.

"That's simple. Some actions you do will increase your stats but it can take a while to do. Attribute Points happen when you level up or can be gained as a mission reward, and you can you use them to increase any of your stats. I use them mostly on my WIS to improve my chakra control," he informed his teammates.

"The gaki had one of the worse control someone had over his or her chakra I've ever seen. It's not the greatest at the moment but it ain't nowhere as bad as it used to be," the woman tended to romanticize things a bit but in this case Naruto had to begrudgingly agree with Anko with this.

"So you basically put them where you were lacking," Ino said and Naruto nodded. He had allocated them elsewhere as well but it was more or less the case. Having a ton of chakra was good and all but having a good amount of control meant he could use the bare minimum and resulted in little to no waste in chakra as well. "From what I'm seeing WIS and DEX are the least of our problems while everything else is," Ino frowned and wondered where exactly she should allocate her Attribute Points.

"For now put them all into your VIT, Blondie. Same with you, Pale Eyes," Anko ordered. At the moment Ino had the lowest HP out of all of them, with Hinata soon after her. Both of their chakra levels weren't the greatest either, Ino once more being the lowest, but Anko would prefer her students to have larger health pools and stamina levels than a chakra pool at the moment.

Doing as instructed, and being shown by Naruto, Ino and Hinata soon felt themselves less tired as they confirmed their stats allocation. Tired and weary still but less so, "That was strange but -"

"Good, right?" Ino asked her fellow kunoichi teammate. Hinata could only nod at the odd and foreign sensation.

"You get use to it," Naruto grinned and soon had a glint in his eyes, "Now, let's go find us that treasure chest."

Finding the chest had not been all that difficult. Much like the other times he had to find the chests this one was located near the dungeon exit. Of course they had to fight off a few scorpions on the way. Most of them had been taken care of by Anko or Naruto because of how tired and weak Ino and Hinata were. But even with Naruto's formidable stamina and endurance it the group knew he was pushing himself. Having to fight most of the battle and two bosses with many chakra draining techniques who do that to a person.

But not once did Naruto complain, especially when they opened the treasure chest. Inside had been a heaping 60,000 ryo that was split four ways. As a result, each member of Team Eight, minus Hottomaru of course, received a decent 15,000 ryo in the process.

Inside had also been two scrolls. One was **Basic Poisons and Antidotes Skill** that had been given to Ino, while the other was a common but effective technique known as **Ninpo: Dokugiri** (Ninja Art: Poison Mist). Once more the technique had been given to Ino as with her perks it was logical.

* * *

 **Your "Observe" skill has levelled up by 1!**

 **Congratulations you have "Mastered" the Observe skill!**

 **Observe** : Lv. MAX. This skill allows the user to see the target's max HP, max CP, rank, money amount, their history, elemental affinity, most used technique and a lot of other information. Can now also be used on items such as weapons, armour, and scrolls. Your current skill allows you to display information you've read about the individual and allows for even more information to be seen. Your current skill level now allows you to see through basic **Genjutsu** and the **Henge** of individuals' an additional fifteen levels higher than you. Individuals with huge levels gaps will have a question mark instead of a numbers but you can now see information on their perks.

* * *

"Sweet," Naruto especially enjoyed the additional features of the technique. But the boy's mood change as he saw Hinata.

"Sorry, Pale Eyes," Anko felt bad that Hinata hadn't gotten anything other than the money. Truthfully she doubted the girl needed it because her father was the clan head and she most likely had a decent amount of money already.

"It's alright, Anko-sensei," Hinata reassured her. Truthfully though the young had had been a little disappointed for not getting anything.

"Ah, it's not a big deal, Hinata," the slightly downed Hyuga looked at a grinning Naruto. "There's tons of dungeons out there and I'll betcha that there's bound to be something that will suit you."

"The gaki's right, Pale Eyes. Sooner or later you'll get something," Anko smiled and pulled the girl into a one armed hug. "Don't worry about it. Good things come to those who wait as they say."

"H…Hai!" Hinata nodded and her mood, even if it was lightly, perked up at the words of comfort.

"First though we need to get outta a here. Gaki, take us home!" the boy didn't need to be told twice and subsequently shouted out a command before each and everyone of them found themselves back into the mundane version of Training Ground Nine.

"Ugh," both Ino and Hinata groaned. "That sucked. Little warning next time, Naruto," Ino grunted before she put her head between her legs. The three other members of Team Eight waited a good few minute or so before Ino and Hinata felt fine to move again. Once they were ready, Anko ordered her team that they were heading to the Hokage Tower to hand in the report. Afterwards she decided that they'd call it a day.

As they ascended the stairs to the Hokage's office, Team Eight passed by several Jonin and their respective teams of their own. All of them were older teams that had been around for more than a year or so and many looked perplexed at the state they were in.

"Yosh! Anko-san!"

" _Oh, shit! Of all the rotten timing!"_ Anko groused and cursed her rotten luck. The woman really didn't want to deal with this right now, "Hey, what's up, Gai?"

"Nothing much, my youthful friend!" the eccentric taijutsu virtuoso master of Konoha grinned at the woman before directing his attention to the Genin, "Oho! So the rumours of you having a team are true!" he beamed.

"Yep, they're still wet behind the ears and still need a little tuning up but they'll get there eventually. Team Eight, this is Maito Gai. He's Konoha's foremost taijutsu expert and master. Hell, probably in all of Hi no Kuni. Gai, this is Team Eight. That's Gaki, Blondie, and Pales Eyes."

"Arf!" Hottomaru barked at being left out.

"Oh, yeah, and that's Poochie-gaki."

"Grrr!"

"We have names, you know," Ino and Naruto deadpanned as the woman shrugged. Leave it to Anko to introduce them by their nicknames.

"I'm Yamanaka Ino, that's Hyuga Hinata, that's Hottomaru, and that idiot's Uzumaki Naruto," she smirked as her teammate gave her a look for the idiot comment.

"Ah, yes, Konoha's resident prankster," Gai nodded. The man had seen a few of the boy's pranks on occasion and thought them to have been creative to say the least.

"Got a problem with my pranks, **Gekimayu-sensei** (Intense Eyebrows Master)?" Naruto was a little defensive. While Gai blinked at the name he was given.

" _Baka!_ " Ino knew Naruto was slow at times but this was taking then cake. No matter how truthfully the name fit. However, before she could apologise and reprimand him both Anko and Gai burst out laughing instead.

"Gekimayu? That's a new one," the man chuckled much to Naruto's surprise.

" _The hell?_ "Ino half-guessed the man to get angry, not laugh it off. The ninja world was full of weirdoes it seemed.

"Say, Gai, where's your team?" Anko asked. "They didn't die from overkill did they? I really liked Tenten."

"No, my glorious students are off today. Lee's running laps around Konoha last I heard. He started an hour ago so he should be on lap fifty four by now," he mused while Ino and Naruto's eyes threatened to bulge out.

" _Fifty laps around Konoha in an hour!"_ the idea of a Genin capable of doing that was nuts in their minds. Naruto considered himself strong and had immense stamina compared to other Genin but even he doubted he'd be capable of doing what this Lee character was doing.

" _I need to up my training,_ " he thought. If there were people close to his age that were capable of doing such a thing then Naruto knew others would reach the Hokage title before him.

"Tenten's running her family shop and Neji I think is at the Hyuga compound," he said and neither he or Anko didn't missed the way Anko's Hyuga Genin flinch at the mention of his name. " _So this is the clan's former heiress and Neji's cousin,_ " Gai wasn't the most astute individual in the world but he was quite perceptive and attentive.

The man had heard about his student's cousin, having seen her the odd time and everything else. The man frowned internally as the girl before him didn't have the arrogance or haughty demeanour that most Main Family members had. It was evident by the way she moved and stood that she was lacking in confidence and had some emotional baggage. It was nothing like Neji had mentioned before, " _Even now his anger still clouds his judgment,_ " the man thought before putting the thoughts away.

"Well, I'm off to see how Lee's doing, Anko-san. Enjoy teaching," he said and gave the woman his well known 'nice guy pose". To the astonishment of Naruto and Ino, the pose included a thumbs up, winking, and smiling with teeth so white they give off a proverbial 'ping'.

As he left in a blur, Naruto and Ino were left stunned and motionless, "Does that always happen?"

"Trust me, I've seen something far worse," Anko shuddered at the horrible memory. "Make no mistake, Gai's an odd duck," and that was putting it extremely lightly, "but the man's easily one of Konoha's most powerful ninja. His taijutsu is frightening and second to none in Hi no Kuni," Anko didn't know the true extend of the man's power but Anko guessed it would be devastating if the man went all out.

Continuing on their original trek to the Hokage's office, Anko informed the secretary and only needed to wait less than ten seconds before they were permitted to enter. "Team Eight is back from their mission, Hokage-sama," Hiruzen was about to congratulate them but that was before he saw a grinning, cut and bruised covered Anko saluting the elderly village leader.

Hiruzen merely batted his eyes, once and then twice before he took a deep breath and then proceeded to rub his temples. Hiruzen tried to stifle the migraine he knew was about to show itself as best he could. "Anko, would you mind telling me why your team looks as though they went into a battlefield?" the man exaggerated but the scene before spoke for itself.

Naruto and Hottomaru were ragged and looked as though they had taken the worse of it judging by the cuts and bruises Hiruzen spotted on the boy's face. He also observed that despite the former being known for his stamina the boy had quite a large amount of sweat and his breathing looked rapid. Ino and Hinata both looked ready to keel over and had a decent amount of cuts and bruises as well. From Team Eight's appearance Hiruzen thought they had gone through a meat grinder.

"Well…" she drawled, "it may have gotten a little rough," Anko laughed a bit and had a sheepish look adorning her face. "But on the bright side we came out stronger than ever!"

" _Speak for yourself_ , _Anko-sensei!_ " all three Genin thought.

"Are they alright?" Hiruzen asked.

"Nothing a quick trip to the hospital won't fix," Anko smiled but winced lightly and held her side a little more tightly. Hiruzen guessed the woman sported either a fractured or broken rib at the moment. She was definitely doing a lousy job hiding it but an excellent one at suppressing the pain. "… I see. At any rate your team did a fine job getting rid of those scorpions. As of now the training area can once again be used for training once more. Should another event such as this occur do you think your team will be able to undertake it?"

"You damn well know it," Anko grinned and winced once more. "No pain, no gain is my motto."

" _How many freaking mottos does she have?_ " Ino, Naruto, and Hiruzen simultaneously thought. Though the Genin couldn't help but agree that Anko certainly lived up to the pain aspect of the saying. "Freaking lizard. I wished I kicked his ass."

"Lizard?" Hiruzen asked, "I thought I sent you to deal with a scorpion infestation?"

"Yeah, we may have run into a little snag at the end of the mission," Anko said.

"Explain," Anko recognized Hiruzen's tone as one that left little for argument. For the next little while Anko explained what occurred during the mission with vivid details. Hiruzen for his part remained impassive as he listened to the newly promoted Jonin and never said a word as the woman told the story.

As Anko ended the mission brief, Hiruzen released a deep sigh and Anko could not tell if such a thing was good or bad, "So they know?"

"About the gaki's ability, yeah," Anko informed him. Though Hiruzen knew Anko wouldn't be standing before him if she told them about the Abyss without their permission. Even with the seals, the fewer who knew about the mysterious and highly elusive organization the better. The same went for Naruto's ability. Hiruzen would make a point to give the Mito's seal to help prevent the information from being forcibly taking from them.

"Though you succeeded, I wished the mission ended on better terms and without risking the safety of others," here he sent a look at Anko and Naruto and both winced. However, Hiruzen also knew where Anko came from when she made her decision. In the ninja world one needed to adapt to any situation that presented itself. It was either do or die. "But on the other hand, Team 8 did accomplish their first C-Rank, if not B-Rank, mission. Congratulations," he smiled as the team perked up. "But next time, try and show a little more decorum for one of your rank, Anko."

* * *

 **[QUEST COMPLETED!]**

 **Stingers, Pincers and Venom… Oh, Shit!**

 **Main Quest: Clear Training Area 8 of Scorpions (Kill 30 Scorpion Drones, 15 Soldiers, and 5 Giant Scorpions) (ACCOMPLISHED)**

 **Side Quest: Defeat Scorpion Boss (ACCOMPLISHED)**

 ***Bonus Quest*: Defeat the unknown creature (Accomplished)**

 **Total Rewards**

 **8000 EXP, 25000 Ryo, +450 Reputation with Konoha, Allowed to undertake more C-Rank Missions** , " **Chain Quest Unlocked", +3 Stats**

* * *

"Will try," Anko said and made Hiruzen sigh as he knew it was the best he was gonna get from the woman. Hiruzen merely shook his head before he passed on the pay, plus a little extra, to the team. As she dismissed them, Hiruzen told Anko to stay behind and from his look she understood it was important. "What is it, Hokage-sama?"

The elderly Kage released a wisp of smoke from his mouth before he began, "You said that creature you faced began to pulse and radiate with an unnatural chakra?"

"Yeah, it was weird. One moment the damn thing looked like it wanted to rip us to shreds and the next it looked like it was in pain and made a run for it. Why? Something wrong?" Anko had her suspicion that the man knew something. He wouldn't have asked otherwise.

"Hopefully it's nothing and I'll have some ninja keep an eye and ear out for that thing. But knowing your luck and Naruto's ability I'd hazard a guess you will encounter that creature again. Unfortunately, that creature will be stronger and more deadlier than ever once it undergoes its metamorphosis," Hiruzen sighed. "It's rare for such a thing to occur but from what you've described the chances of it happening are high. Chakra mutations are sometimes known to mutate even further and when they do it will not be an easy fight. Luckily your description indicates that it's only in the beginning stages. At the moment, it will be at its most weakest and seek shelter someplace hidden enough that it can feed but remain safe until the process is complete."

"How long till this thing's done with its change?" Anko needed to know. She had to prepare her team as much as she could if or when the damn reptile came back for some payback.

"Such a metamorphosis is hard to determine. It depends on the creature really. But if I'd hazard a guess, three maybe four months before it enters or completes its final stage of change. You'd better prepare your Genin for what may come, Anko. I've dealt with a few of these creatures, before there was even a Konoha, and believe me when I say this: Don't let anything up to chance. If you do, you'll come to regret it."

From the way Hiruzen spoke Anko had the distinct impression the man was speaking from personal experience rather than an indirect one. Even before he became Hokage Anko heard how Hiruzen had already been a Kage level shinobi in his earlier twenties. Kage level shinobi were rare nowadays compared to back then, with it being even rarer still at such a young age. But from the man's posture and the subtle shifts in tone, Anko knew that the man had faced off against an exceptionally powerful creature and took the lives of those close to him.

Anko wasn't about to let that happen to her team. Anko was many things: promiscuous, insatiable, outspoken, etcetera. Despite her reservation, she grew fond of Naruto and Hottomaru over time and steadily she knew she was growing fond of both Hinata and Ino. And Anko would sooner die or let herself be dragged to hell than be the cause of her team's death.

" _Even if it means making a deal with the King of Hell himself,_ " Anko resolutely declared. Finishing up the brief, Anko left to make plans for both her team and herself. They needed to get stronger. And come hell or high water Anko was going to make they were prepared for the cruel and unforgiving world ahead of them. She'd do it even if they ended up hating her guts and more for it.

Though her sore body had other plans as another shot of pain was felt, "Hospital first, torture later," she winced and held her side and made her towards the Konoha General.

* * *

(The Next Day)

"This is so not fair," Ino complained as she nursed her still aching body. Hinata wasn't fairing any better either herself despite both of them going to the hospital the other day and using some of their clans' own remedies. The Yamanaka Clan had herbs that helped speed up the recovery process of wounded ninja but the effects were gradual. The Hyuga Clan she knew had a special ointment that pretty much did the same thing. Even then it would take more than a night's rest for both Ino and Hinata to fully heal from their injuries.

Yet Naruto and Hottomaru stood before them fresh as daisies and no worse for wear. Not a scratch or bruise was visible on either one of them. Both looked ready to take on the world if the grins were evident on their faces. And it pissed Ino off!

"This is all because of that stupid ability of yours," Ino said, "How the hell do you get something that useful anyway?"

"Playing video games," Naruto stated with a shrug. Truthfully he didn't know how it came to be but Naruto assumed his love of video games played some part in it. It made sense in a weird sort of way. "All I know is that every morning when I wake up any injury I had disappears and all my chakra comes back after a good night's sleep."

" _This is total bullshit,_ " Ino knew the dungeon creation thing was unique and incredible but for his ability to allow this sort of thing was nuts in her mind. It seriously wasn't fair. Before she could say anything else the leader and mentor of the group appeared in a swirl of leaves and dust.

"All right, twerps, listen up," Anko ordered and all four stood at attention. "Now here's the good news. Because of what happened the other day we've been giving the green light on getting to do more C-Rank missions."

"Hell yeah!" Naruto whopped. So far he liked the news and the looks on the other members faces spoke for themselves.

"Settle down, gaki," Anko didn't like the interruption but couldn't fault him on it either. Any more D-Rank missions and Anko was ready to go nuts. "Bad news is that we still gotta do some D-Rank missions, not as much but we still gotta do some."

As their groans were heard, Anko shared in their despondence. It could have been worse in her mind but even then she agreed. D-Rank missions, other than the Tora Retrieval one, were a waste of time in the woman's mind.

"The other bad news is for you actually," Anko proceeded to crack her knuckles, one by one. All four before gulped and subconsciously took a step back. "Like I said yesterday I'm gonna be upping your training. That last mission was a wake up call. Had the gaki not been there you'd all be dead. Had I not been there for the second half even the gaki would have most likely died. As of now the kiddy gloves are coming off. Are you ready?"

"I can barely stand-" Ino began but soon found herself gasping for air.

"Death does not wait for you to be ready!" Anko shouted as she kicked the girl.

"Death is not considerate, or fair!" here she rounded on Hinata and sent the Hyuga girl sprawling with a kick.

"And make no mistake: here in the ninja world, you face Death!" she said and had Naruto pinned down, a kunai pressed against his jugular. All of this occurred in the span of less than six seconds. Within six seconds all three Genin had been defeated while Hottomaru was subdued by Midori herself.

Anko proceeded to get off Naruto and dusted herself, "Make no mistake. All of you have potential but that potential don't mean shit if you're dead. In the ninja world you go all out or stay home. There will come a time where I won't be there to save your ass. And trust me, there are much worse things than death," her she looked and Ino and Hinata specifically.

"Now to start, gaki what's everybody's level again?" Anko asked.

As they were no longer in his group, or party, none of them could see the levels anymore, "I'm level 19, Hotto's 16, Ino is 14, Hinata is level 15, and you're level 39."

"Still can't believe the dog's stronger than us," Ino frowned and glared as the ninken puffed out a bit.

"Not really, Hotto's stats are pretty much the same as yours and Hinata's," what he said deflated Hottomaru's ego a bit but to Ino it still wasn't all that comforting. "Plus he's a battle pet so it's up to me to place his stats," the boy received a blank look at the term battle pet, "Okay, this is gonna take a while."

"Better give em the rundown version, gaki," the more aware and understanding they had about his ability, the better.

For the next several minutes or so Naruto began to explain the ins and outs of video games and his ability as best her could. From common things such as equipment they could wear as well as stats and what they represented to the more complex terminology.

"Never knew you were a nerd, Naruto," Ino smirked as Naruto sputtered.

"I'm no nerd!" he retorted but all he got was a laugh from his team. "Hey! I'm the one saving your ass and keeping you alive by telling you this, dattebayo!"

" _Damn! I thought he stopped that crap,_ " Anko thought the verbal tic was annoying as hell. The woman thought it to be as annoying as Uzumaki Kushina's own. "… _Wait a minute… HOLY SHIT!_ "

A wide-eyed and stunned Anko looked at Naruto with realization dawning on her. Her mind now making the connection between her student and the late kunoichi, " _How the fuck did I miss that!?_ "

Anko had not known Kushina on a personal level, their relationship had been more that of acquaintances than friends. However, Anko knew Kushina enough that she was the only person in Konoha who had such a verbal tic. " _To think she of all people would have a kid._ "

Anko and many had heard how Kushina had gone about saying she'd become the next Hokage after Hiruzen. The woman had also emphasized that having a kid was the last thing on her mind as a village leader needed to be powerful. Getting pregnant would hamper that strength and make her vulnerable. But as strong as she was and despite her reputation, Kushina had not counted on Namikaze Minato. Oh, Kushina was strong all right, easily one of the strongest kunoichi Konoha had at the time, but she was nowhere near Minato's level. A Hokage, a Kage in general really, needed to stand out in terms of power and reputation. Otherwise it would end badly for the village's reputation. Kushina was much stronger than the average Jonin, and her reputation during her time as a ninja and the last war had ranked her as an A-Rank Threat. But despite those accomplishments she wasn't at Kage level.

" _Unless you count her pranks._ … _Oh, man I'm an idiot,_ " Anko wanted to bash her head in for such an oversight. It was clear as day that Naruto was her son. While it wasn't uncommon for people to share last names, the verbal tic and love of pranks were too much of a coincidence. But it begged the question, " _Why's Hokage-sama keeping the gaki and Kushina's relationship a secret?"_

This thought only lead to more questions in Anko's mind. For now she'd play it by ear. If the Hokage kept it a secret then it was most likely extremely important and meant it was to protect Naruto as well. Anko knew she'd have to discreetly do some digging of her own when she got the chance.

"Anko-sensei?" the woman was cut off from her thoughts as her meek student called out to her. "Ino-san is-"

"Take it back!" Ino shouted as she tightened the arm-lock she had on Naruto's neck.

"Never, Piggy!" he responded and as a result she tightened her hold on his throat. Normally it would have been a feeble attempt as Naruto had greater physical strength. What the blond male hadn't count on was the girl locking her legs around his waist, and her arms around his neck and holding on like a vice grip.

"Kinda sloppy but not bad," Anko assessed and wanted to laugh as she saw Naruto try to buck her off like a wild horse. "Hey, love birds! Get a room already!"

" _Love birds?!"_ a stunned Hinata thought before another more assertive thought rang, " ** _The hell that's happening!_** **"**

"Me and her/Me and him!" Ino and Naruto both said and looked at one another, "HELLS NO!" they declared.

" _Ryo for every time I've heard that one,_ " Anko mentally snorted before focusing, "Young romance aside," she ignored their dirty looks and took out some chakra paper, "front and center you two!" she ordered Ino and Hinata.

"Anko-sensei, aren't those chakra papers?" Naruto asked.

"Good eye, gaki. Like he said this is chakra paper and it'll help determine what your nature affinity is," she said and gave each kunoichi a piece of paper and explained the fundamentals behind the results and how to achieve it.

"So all we do is channel our chakra into it?" Ino asked and shrugged. The task was simple enough in her mind and Ino wasn't going to complain.

Both Ino and Hinata concentrated and channelled their chakra into the pieces of paper. With their chakra control being much better than Naruto's when he first attempted the same thing the results were much quicker. For Ino Anko wasn't surprised to see her paper crinkle up.

Due to her interaction with several Yamanaka, Anko knew that many in Ino's clan had a history when it came to having a lightning affinity. As they were mind manipulators, and the mind itself was powered and control via electrical signals it was no surprise that she would have such an affinity. For Hinata she was genuinely surprised to see it becoming wet. Compared to the Yamanaka Anko had little knowledge on the Hyuga except for the basics. The woman had been informed by Kurenai that the most common element was actually Earth and Fire, two of water's opposing natures.

"So we got a lightning user and a water user," Anko mused and frowned lightly. Anko had a Fire and Earth affinity so she wouldn't be of much help in training either kunoichi in their respective elements. "The downside is I can't help you all that much with your affinities. But on the plus side you two have affinities that make for great versatile and powerful combination attacks."

"Versatile?" Naruto asked.

"Lightning is considered by many as one of the most, if not _the_ most powerful primary element because of its destructive capabilities," it was a debate that many still had to this day. "The only problem is that lightning attacks are pretty much linear and hard to control which direction you want it to go in. With a large amount of practice you may be able to make it change direction but even the experts of Raiton have trouble doing this.

That's where water comes into play. Suiton is the most fluid of the elements and can change its direction on whim. Water's also a natural conductor which means that combining lightning with it will make it stronger and more versatile," here she sheepishly scratched her head, "Problem is that next to wind, lightning is kind of an uncommon element in Hi no Kuni," Anko knew that were this Rai no Kuni it would be different. However, Konoha and Kumo still weren't on the best terms ever since the Hyuga Incident. Relations were slowly on the mend but many were slow to forgive and forget.

"So how do we fix this?" Ino asked. She didn't doubt that same in her clan knew the odd elemental ninjutsu but it was common stuff. Her clan specialized in mind manipulation, making poisons, and infiltration. It was the reason why she got the items and techniques from yesterday. Elemental ninjutsu much like taijutsu had never been one of her clan's fortes or more commonly practiced skills.

"Ano, my clan doesn't really approve of using anything other than our fighting style," Hinata held her head low and caused Anko to groan. It was no secret had much the Hyuga Clan prided themselves on their famous Gentle Fist fighting style. Learning medical ninjutsu was one thing but learning another fighting style was something completely different. Anko would not deny that their fighting style fearsome reputation and that it was very deadly. Despite its name Anko heard that the fighting had several mid and long ranged techniques. Techniques that were both offensive and defensive and all revolved around chakra manipulation. The only problem was that Hinata's skill was nowhere near the level needed to use those kinds of techniques.

"We'll cross that bridge when it comes to it," Anko didn't really want to deal with political bullshit but she was tasked with keeping her student alive and that's what she was setting out to do. "To start we're heading to the Archive Library."

"The what?" Naruto asked.

"You seriously don't know what the Archive Library is? They taught us that in year one!" Ino practically shouted at the embarrassed blond. "It's where Konoha keeps most of its ninja related information. From former ninja that Konoha had to knowledge on certain techniques."

"Wait, they have ninjutsu?!" Naruto suddenly asked a glint in his eyes.

"D'uh! What part of 'everything that's ninja related' did you not get?" Ino rolled her eyes as Naruto began fantasizing. "If you paid attention in class you'd also know that as Genin we have limited access to everything in there. Idiot," she muttered as Naruto visibly slumped.

"Ah, man," Naruto whined. The prospect of learning a bunch of potential techniques had gone up in smoke.

"Yeah, that reminds me. Before you try to learn anything let me see it first so I know if they have a copy or if I need to make one," Anko said. "Last thing I want is for you to learn something and it's all the information we have on it."

"Huh?" Ino and Hinata wondered what she was referring to.

"The gaki's ability allows him to learn most skills from a book or scroll instantly. But as a result the medium is destroyed in the process," Anko informed them.

"Okay, the more I hear about his ability the more pissed off I get about how unfair it is," Ino grumbled/whined. What took such a long time for others took seconds for Naruto to learn. Ino had been going over the concept of the **Ninpo: Dokugiri** and knew it would take some time before she could get it down.

"Aww, is someone jealous," Anko gushed and hugged an embarrassed Ino. "Meh, don't worry about it. I got a few tricks up my sleeve only you can learn anyway," Anko whispered lowly and Ino smirked the prospect. "Look unfair as his ability is-"

"What the hell are you guys bitching about? You know that you guys get to do the same thing when you're teamed up with me?" he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"…What?" Anko asked lowly and rounded on her senior student. "Are you saying we could have learned stuff the same way you do?"

"Yeah, but I told you that months ago," the boy didn't know what Anko was getting so worked up about.

Said woman released a mirthless chuckle that made Ino, Hinata, and Hottomaru back away from Naruto and their teacher, "Oh, hehehe…gaki. You said no such thing. And before you interrupt me," she held up a finger to stop him, "let me say this. Four months. It took me four, freakishly long months before I managed to get the **Ninpo:** **Dokkasō no Jutsu** (Ninja Art: Toxic Luster Claw Technique) down to a decent level. Had I been informed I could have learned it more quickly then don't you think I would abused it by now?" she smiled.

"Uhhhhhh," Naruto slowly realized there was some truth to the woman's words. Which meant one simple thing. He fucked up, "Ooops."

"Yeah, ooops," Anko had her eyes closed as she nodded. "Here's something else you forgot about, gaki. Like you I'm a prankster, and I'll be getting you back for this when you least expect it."

"Arf!" Hottomaru promptly hid behind Hinata as he heard this. The poor ninken still remembered the last time Anko had pranked both of them and he was in no hurry to experience it again.

"Oh, relax, mutt. I ain't gonna get you this time. This is between the gaki and me," she grinned and ruffled Naruto's head. The boy showed no emotion on the outside but was internally weeping. Anko's pranks were devious and downright impossible to predict.

"Oh, shit I fucked up badly didn't I?" it was a dumb question to ask. For Naruto already knew the answer.

"You're just realizing that now, dumbass?" Ino smirked and crossed her arms.

"It was a rhetorical question, Piggy!" Naruto shouted and huffed childishly. Earning a chuckle from Hinata and missing the look in Ino's eye for the insult.

" _Oh, you're gonna pay for that Naruto-baka,_ " Ino wasn't a prankster but she was devious as any other woman scorned. And she loved serving up revenge ice cold. Seeing the look in her student's made Anko realize she wasn't going to be alone in this prank. But the Jonin pushed such plans for revenge aside and ordered Naruto to invite them into his party before she had the team hustle to the Archive Library.

* * *

 **(Konoha Archive Library)**

"Okay, let's see what we got here," Anko browsed through the scrolls that her team would be allowed to look at. Some of them were basic and not that great but it would help them get a better idea when they started learning the more complex stuff. Naruto was the exception of course.

For Ino and Hinata, Anko was looking for basic information on their nature affinity and how to better teach them. **Keitai Henka** (Shape Transformation) and **Seishitsu Henka** (Nature Transformation) wouldn't be made available for them until after they got a decent grasp of the basics. Converting one's chakra into an element was easy compared to mastering Nature Transformation as the latter was a much more complex art form. It was general learned when one wished to create their own personal technique or change the properties of an existing one.

Such a thing was out of their league at the moment, but both would need to learn some elemental ninjutsu if they were to survive. She counted her blessings that Naruto's ability allowed them to learn techniques instantly. It would greatly speed things up. However, Anko knew that Naruto had both a natural knack for elemental ninjutsu and had more chakra compared to Ino and Hinata. Meaning that the higher tier stuff would have to be left on the shelf for now.

As she continued to look Anko spotted a scroll that she knew would benefit Hinata. " **Basic Medical Ninjutsu,** " she took the scroll and gave it a once over. Anko herself knew a bit about medicine and some minor medical ninjutsu but it was more so on minor injuries. The more advanced stuff she knew was on how to extract certain poisons and making antidotes than anything else. While the scroll held basic information on medical ninjutsu Anko knew that even the basics of the art were very complex and one needed a certain knack for it to go beyond the basics.

While Anko searched for scrolls for Ino and Hinata, Naruto was looking through a series of scrolls himself. In this cases the scrolls he was looking at were Taijutsu ones. The last battle had taught him that he needed to improve his hand-to-hand combat. Good as he was he really needed to improve and find a suitable fighting Taijutsu when faced against stronger foes.

The only problem was that his choice was limited and many of the taijutsu had requirements that he didn't fulfill or conflicted with his fighting styles. " **Beginner's Tekken** (Iron Fist) a hard type fighting style that revolves mostly on ones fist and using it in various ways such as knifehand chops, spearhand thrusts, and various fist like techniques. The style requires one to break, calcify and strengthen the bones in their arms and fists to increase the effectiveness and power. Alternatively, a person with an Earth affinity could channel Doton chakra around their arms instead. As a result the moves would be more powerful, but they'd also be slower and slightly more noticeable and sluggish. Nope!" this was his sixth scroll and Naruto was starting to get annoyed.

None of the scrolls he found felt right to him or he felt would complement his fighting style. The last ones were known as **Judo** (Gentle Way) and **Hikaken** (Chop Hanging Fists). The latter one being based somewhat off the Hyuga's Clans **Juken** (Gentle Fist).

The problem with the one he just read was that Naruto didn't have an Earth affinity and he wasn't too keen on breaking his bones despite his healing ability. The fact that it relied heavily on punches and had little use of his legs was a no go too. Fists were fine and all but Hayate and Yugao had told him that a ninja used every part of their body as a weapon. On the plus side it would have given Ino and Hinata the opportunity to heal him and increase their medical ninjutsu levels.

"Yeah, right. Knowing Ino she'd have me owe her a favour every time I need healing," Naruto muttered. The girl was a lot like Anko sadistic wise. Nowhere as bad but he had the impression she'd get there eventually the way they got along.

Taking out another scroll Naruto began to read it, " **Beginner's** **Shishi Kumite** (Eight Limbs Kata). The teachings of this taijutsu style revolves on how to deliver and perform devastating and swift blows with their fists, elbows, knees, and kicks. Grappling also plays an important role as to not only prevent one's opponent from breaking free while strikes are being landed on them but for using certain techniques at their fullest," so far Naruto was intrigued by the taijutsu, more so than the others anyway.

"Sorry, boss," Naruto heard one of his clones say. "The only decent ninjutsu we could find were **Futon: Daitoppa no Jutsu** (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Technique) and **Ninpo:Chakra Nagashi no Jutsu** (Ninja Art: Chakra Flow Technique). All the other stuff was basic or we already knew it."

Naruto grabbed the scrolls and then made the clones disappear in a poof of smoke. Finding three useful scrolls wasn't a total loss but Naruto was disappointed at the moment considering he wished to have found more. "At least now my sword strikes will be stronger," he said as he gave the scroll a look over. In the end it was better than nothing really. Not the greatest but not bad either.

Naruto continued to search for a while longer before Ino and Hinata informed him that that Anko was looking for them. Like him the two were carrying a small amount of scrolls as well. Naruto really hated the limitations that Genin had when it came to learning new techniques. Then again it made sense as well as some Genin tended to do too much too soon.

"Okay, give em here and let's see what you have for me," Anko ordered and then proceeded to go over the scrolls they had. For the scrolls she accepted, Anko placed them on the left, and vice versa in the opposite direction with those she thought otherwise.

"So nine scrolls in total," Anko wished it had been more but wasn't a bad number, "Guess we'll have to make the most of it. Good choice on your picks, gaki. About time you know more than the academy taijutsu. Same with you Blondie with the **Raiton: Jibashi** (Lighting Release: Electromagnetic Murder) scroll. It's basic but as you get better it can get pretty nasty," Anko said and handed her another scroll.

"What's this?" Ino asked.

"A Taijutsu style called **Gekikyaku** (Violent Legs). Short and sweet version is that it has a high emphasize on speed, flexibility and using your legs to attack while using your upper body to defend, grapple, and help perform some moves. With your natural grace I thought it suited you," Anko said. The woman also had the intent to teach her a bit of contortionism as well to complement the fighting style too. "Of course we're gonna have to increase your STR and VIT to make it more effective. Your perks will more or less take care of your DEX but we'll still gonna work on your flexibility, and speed," she grinned and Ino began to worry. From the way the fighting style sounded Ino had the impression her legs were going to be sore as hell.

"For you, Pale Eyes I found a few books on **Basic** **Herbalism,** and three decent Suiton techniques called **Suitsui** (Water Hammer), **Mizu Hari** (Water Needle) and **Suiben** (Water Whip). There all D-Rank but require a great deal of control instead of power. The latter two are ranged techniques while the first one's close range and basically act as a strength enhancer and protection," Anko finished her explanation.

Soon after the woman grabbed copies from one of the workers, and made one copy of the **Shishi Kumite**. The woman then lead her team towards a Training Ground Nine, the normal one instead of the dungeon one, and then tossed them their scrolls. "Well, enough, gawking kiddoes! Start learning!" she grinned.

Naruto reciprocated the action. The blond didn't have to be told twice and eagerly did he learn his techniques. The boy clicked on all yes for all three and his face threatened to split in two as windows popped up in front of him.

 **You've replaced Advanced Academy Taijutsu with Beginner Shishi Kumite** (Eight Limbs Kata)!

 **You've learned, Chakura Nagashi no Jutsu** (Chakra Flow Technique)!

 **You've learned, Futon: Daitoppa no Jutsu** (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Technique)!

* * *

 **Beginner Shishi Kumite** (Eight Limbs Kata)No Rank. Lv 1 (0%/100%).

The basic fundamentals of this taijutsu style revolves on how to use one's momentum to deliver and perform devastating and swift blows with their fists, elbows, knees, and kicks.

*Passively grants +15 STR

*Passively grants +15 DEX

*Increases STR by 15% during combat

*Increases DEX by 15% during combat

*Increases Movement Speed and Critical Strikes during combat by 15%

* * *

 **Futon: Daitoppa no Jutsu** (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Technique) C-Rank Lv 1 (0%/100%).

 **CP Usage: Varies** **based on amount of chakra.**

One of the few techniques that exist that has no set power level. When used it can cause nothing more than a strong gust of wind that can knock others over. At other it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree or blow away all things in the user's line of sight.

*Chances of knocking or sending others flying 45-55% **(Wind Affinity)**

*Does 173.6 to 223.6 Damage **(Wind Affinity)**

*Chances of causing **Concussion Status Effect** 50%

* * *

 **Chakura Nagashi no Jutsu** (Chakra Flow Technique) No Rank. Lv 1 (0%/100%).

 **CP Usage: 95 CP per ten minutes. .**

A technique that refers to the flowing of chakra through an object as well as any technique that increases the potency of a weapon by flowing chakra through it. Through bladed weapons it increases the cutting power and length of the blade itself. With blunt objects it allows it to destroy obstacles with greater ease and increases its durability. Though simple in concept this technique is a stepping stone for something greater. When mastered it will allow one to have a good grasp on how to flow elemental chakra into a weapon, something much more difficult to accomplish.

*Enhances cutting and severing power of bladed weapons by 20%

*Increases the length of bladed weapons by 5cm

*Enhances concussive and crushing power of blunt weapons by 20%

*Reduces the loss of durability of blunt weapons by 5%

As soon as he was done learning his new skills, Naruto set out to test them. First off was the **Daitoppa** which at the moment didn't allow him to bring down a tree at he had hoped. Though it did send a bunch of leaves and birds quite a distance, even though twas not his intent. The chakra flow on his uchigatana was good, not great at the moment but at least it allowed for a better cut. "Plus its bonuses stack on with my other skills and technique," this meant his techniques would be even more powerful when combined with this.

"Eep!" he heard Hinata's surprised voice. The girl was near a river and around her he spotted a trail of water. Naruto guessed she was surprised by her own technique and lost focused.

"Bwahahahha!"Anko's voice boomed across the training field. The laughing was soon joined by Hottomaru's own and Naruto immediately spotted the reason why. The sight immediately made him crack a small that looked ready to turn into full-blown laughter.

"One word from you, Whiskers, and you're dead!" Ino threatened him with a glare. The fact that she was being laughed at by a dog too wasn't all that comforting.

Normally Naruto would have taken her threat to heart - maybe - too bad that the potency behind the threat was diminished by her current appearance. Light sparks danced around Ino's body and Naruto saw a few burnt and singed leaves as well. What was most noticeable about her though was the way her hair stood on end in every which direction. Try as he might, and try he did, Naruto could no longer hold it in, "Worth it!" he shouted before he began to laugh and join his laughing ninken. Ino looked murderous and ready to pounce on her teammate, and Anko would have let her if she didn't have other plans.

"Alright, that's enough, kiddoes," Anko ordered, much to Ino's reluctance. "Now, that last mission was a wake up call. You did good but it ain't enough. So for the next few months," here she grinned and cracked her knuckles maliciously, and her students paled considerably as a large Midori appeared behind her, "welcome to hell."

"Wait! Shouldn't we get to know our skills a bit?!" Ino gawked and mentally cried.

"I believe in learning on the job... plus it's more fun for me this way," she cackled before she made her move on her frightened and scampering Genin.

For the remainder of the day many who trained in the fields would shudder or move as far away from Training Area Nine as fast as they could. But it did little to help their concentration when all they kept hearing was the cackling of a mad woman, the hissing of a large creature, and three screaming children and a dog.

No one dared to look into it. Especially when that mad woman was Anko.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Rank: Genin (10% EXP, Loot Increase)**

 **Level: 19 Next Level: 16870.5/21300**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 4100**

 **CP: 6275**

 **STR: 87**

 **VIT: 133**

 **DEX: 139**

 **INT: 191**

 **WIS: 89.5**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 115**

 **Perk:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, ?

 **Special Perks:**

 **Gamer:** Allows you to live your life like a video game. You still don't know much about it though, but who cares life is good.

 **Kyuubi Jinchuriki:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP and Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards Reputation gain with those with Neutral and lower, ?

 **Titles:**

 **Apprentice Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu Swordsman:** +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Kenjutsu, Stealth **,** Feints and Movement Speed, +3 DEX, +2 STR per Lv

 **Grand Master Zombie Slayer:** 100% increase attack and defense against Undead, +50 towards stats when facing Undead, +50% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards Reputation gain with those with Neutral and lower, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Description:** Much ofUzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently a Genin with aspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. Due to great improvement and proper tutelage under Anko Mitarashi and Gekko Hayate, Naruto went from Dead Last to being a high middle rank student. Recently he has discovered that he is the jinchuriki of the Kyubi no Yoko, and the reason why he has the animosity of many.

 **Money** : 1,456,446 Ryo ~ (145,644.60$)

 **Attribute Points: 17**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Job: Ninken (Ninja Dog)**

 **Level: 16 Next Level: 10,625/16,000**

 **Reputation: Friendly (2025/3000)**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **Ninken Category: Hybrid "Guard and Tracking"**

 **HP: (900/900)**

 **CP: (750/750)**

 **STR: 27**

 **VIT: 36**

 **DEX: 49**

 **INT: 30**

 **WIS: 22**

 **LUK: 20**

 **DEF: 15**

 **Perks:**

 **Keen-Senses:** +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Ninja Dog:** Human Lifespan, Ability to Mould Chakra, Potential to speak human language

 **Komainu Lineage (Guard Dog):** +2 VIT, +1 STR per Lv, +15% Effectiveness & EXP towards Biting Techniques, -10% Effectiveness and EXP towards Training and Reputation, "?"

 **Akita Lineage (Tracking Dog):** +3 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Tracking Skill, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Stealth, +10% towards Movement Speed during and outside combat

 **Special Perks:**

 **Gamer's Combat Pet:** A special perk that allows any of your combat pets the ability **Gamer's Body** , though they only earn a small amount of Attribute Points per level that you can allocate. However, this can be lost if you decide you don't want a certain pet or if your pet abandons you or dies.

 **Titles:**

 **Master Zombie Slayer:** 80% increase attack and defense against Undead, +35 stats when facing Undead, +35% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Description:** A two year old ninja dog with Komainu blood in his veins. While possessing great potential like his cousin Akamaru, Hottomaru like most Komainu pups require a good amount of discipline and can be difficult to train but are fiercely loyal and protective of their owners and partners.

 **Attribute Points: 6**

 **Money:** 0

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hyuga Hinata**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Genin (10% EXP, Loot Increase)**

 **Level: 15 Next Level: 1959.05/14,400**

 **Reputation Level: Exalted (560/12000)**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 725**

 **CP: 775**

 **STR: 19**

 **VIT: 29**

 **DEX: 56**

 **INT: 32**

 **WIS: 82**

 **LUK: 13**

 **DEF: 10**

 **Perks:**

 **Byakugan:** +1 DEX per Lv, +20% EXP & Effectiveness towards Medical Ninjutsu, Detection, Sensing, and Taijutsu Skills, Capable of seeing virtually through everything, body pressure points and at far distances

 **Main Family Lineage:** +2 WIS & +1 DEX per Lv, +10% Effectiveness to all Hyuga Clan Skills, +10% Reputation gain with Konoha and Konoha Allies, +10% EXP and Effectiveness towards Bartering Skill with Konoha and Allies, +10% EXP and Effectiveness towards Taijutsu and Chakra Control Skill, Risk of capture from Kumo shinobi

 **Titles:**

 **Apprentice Juken Practitioner:** +2 WIS, +1 DEX, +1 INT, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Taijutsu Skill, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Chakra Control Skill

 **Beginner Medical Practitioner:** +1 WIS per level, +10% EXP & Effectiveness towards Medical Ninjutsu and Herbalism Skills

 **Status Effect:**

 **Mild-Diffidence:** -20% to all stats, -20% EXP earned from monsters, -20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Skills, Self Confidence Issues **,** Can potentially become irreversible if progressed too far

 **Description: Hinata is a very kind but very shy young girl who comes from one of Konoha's four noble clans. Despite being trained in the art of the Gentle Fist at a young age, a renown and deadly taijutsu, Hinata's skill is lacking for reasons currently unknown. While not one of the best students in the academy Hinata is still one of the more intelligent students. While most of the girls in her class are infatuated with Sasuke, Hinata is attracted to someone else. Her love for cinnamon rolls is said to rival Uzumaki Naruto's love for ramen.**

 **Stats: 3**

 **Money:** 40,000 Ryo (4000$)

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Yamanaka Ino**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Genin (10% EXP, Loot Increase)**

 **Level: 14 Next Level: 3341.5/12,900**

 **Reputation: Friendly** (246/3000)

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **HP: 650**

 **CP: 525**

 **STR: 15 (5) 20**

 **VIT: 26**

 **DEX: 46**

 **INT: 21**

 **WIS: 68**

 **LUK: 18**

 **DEF: 10 (20) 30**

 **Perks:**

 **Enhanced Cognition:** +1 WIS per Lv, +15% EXP and Effectiveness to Detection, +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Chakra Control Skills, +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Skills learned through books and scrolls

 **Natural Grace:** +2 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness towards Movement Speed in and out of combat, +15% Effectiveness towards Evasion,

 **Special Perk:**

 **Yamanaka Lineage (Heiress):** +3 WIS per Lv, +25% Effectiveness to all Yamanaka Clan Skills, +25% Reputation gain with Konoha and Konoha Allies, +25% EXP and Effectiveness Bartering with Konoha and Allies, 15% EXP increase from Konoha Missions

 **Titles:**

 **Apprentice Botanist:** 15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Botany Skill, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Herbalism Skill, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Poison Skills

 **Beginner Mind Walker:** +1 WIS, +10% EXP & Effectiveness towards Torture and Interrogation Skill, +10% EXP & Effectiveness towards Information Gathering Skill, +10% towards Chakra Control Skill, +10% Resistance towards Torture and Interrogation

 **Konoha's Mrs. Beauty:** +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Seduction Skill, +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Bartering Skill, +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Infiltration Skill

 **Description: Though not as intelligent as her rival, Sakura, Ino is still one of the top students at the academy. Ino is talented in her clan's teachings but due to her attitude and infatuation with Sasuke she isn't as far or as proficient as she should be. Ino is notorious for her gossip and fashion sense, very little happens in the academy that she doesn't know about.**

 **Stats: 3**

 **Money:** 40,000 Ryo (4000$)

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Mitarashi Anko**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Jonin**

 **Level: 39 Next Level: 61753/86700**

 **Reputation Level: Honoured** (1387/6000)

 **Specialization: Torture and Interrogation, Toxicology**

 **HP: ?**

 **CP: ?**

 **STR: ?**

 **VIT: ?**

 **DEX: ?**

 **INT: ?**

 **WIS: ?**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: ?**

 **Special Perks:**

 **(Sealed) Cursed Seal of Heaven:** +20% Stats Increase, +20% Effectiveness and Power towards all Skills, -25% Mental Resistance, Capable of causing random erratic and emotional outburst, Capable of corrupting the individual with repetitive use

 **Perks:**

 **Gifted Ninja:** +15% Effectiveness towards all skills, +15% EXP towards skills, +15% Power increase towards skills, +15% EXP towards Missions

 **Serpentine Grace:** +4 DEX per Lv, +25% Effectiveness towards Movement Speed in and out of combat, +25% Effectiveness towards Evasion and Counters

 **Titles:**

 **T & I Veteran: **+30% effectiveness and EXP to "T&I" skill, +30% effectiveness and EXP to "Killing Intent" skill

 **Toxicologist Veteran:** +30% Effectiveness, Damage, and EXP to Poisons skill, +75% to Poison Resistance

 **Tracking Veteran:** +30% effectiveness, EXP to "Tracking" skill, +30% damage & defense to stealth based attacks

 **Snake Whore of Konoha:** -25% Reputation gain with Konoha inhabitants with those with Neutral and lower, -25% Teamwork effectiveness with Konoha ninja with those with Neutral and lower

 **Status Effects:**

 **Sealed Powers:** -30% Effectiveness towards skills, -30% EXP towards skills, -30% Power towards skills, -30% towards Stats, Powers can be returned via use of **Curse Seal** or successfully removing it

 **Description: A former student of the infamous rogue ninja, Orochimaru. Hailed as a gifted ninja at a very young age, Anko later went on to become one of Konoha's top torture and interrogation specialists and an accomplished tracker, accomplishing tasks where others, other than the Inuzuka, failed. Due to her tutelage Anko is one of Konoha's best toxicologist, having used and created many unique poisons in the field and during interrogations. Her love of dango is quite well known and feared, some say surpassing Uzumaki Naruto's love for ramen.**

 **Attribute Points:** 3

 **Money:** 40,000 Ryo (4000$)

* * *

 **Technique List**

 **Naruto's Ninjutsu Techniques:**

 **Futon: Reppusho no Jutsu** (Wind Release: Gale Palm Technique) C-Rank

 **Futon: Dai Reppusho no Jutsu** (Wind Release: Great Gale Palm Technique) C-Rank

 **Futon: Shishisenko no Jutsu** (Wind Release: Lion's Battle Roar Technique) A-Rank

 **Futon: Daitoppa no Jutsu** (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Technique) C-Rank

 **Katon: Enso Kaenjin no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Circle Flame Formation Technique) C-Rank

 **Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flame Technique) C-Rank

 **Katon: Hidama no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Fireball Technique) D-Rank

 **Katon: Rasen Hoen no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Spiralling Phoenix Flame Technique) A-Rank

 **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (Shadow Clone Technique) B-Rank

 **Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique) A-Rank

 **Ninpo:** **Goriki** (Ninja Art: Hard Strength) B-Rank

 **Kawarimi no Jutsu** (Body Replacement Technique) E-Rank

 **Shunshin no Jutsu** (Body Flicker Technique) D-Rank

 **Chakura Nagashi no Jutsu** (Chakra Flow Technique) – No Rank

 **Naruto's Taijutsu Techniques:**

 **Banrai** (Heavy Thunder) C-Rank

 **Sotsui Otoshi** (Double Hammer Drop) D-Rank

 **Gawara Saiken** (Tile Crushing Fist) C-Rank

 **Naruto's Kenjutsu Techniques:**

 **Kentotsu** (Backstab) D-Rank

 **Zanzo no Jutsu** (Afterimage Technique) No Rank

 **Oborozukiyo** (Hazy Moon Night) C-Rank

 **Gigetsu no Mai** (Dance of the False Moon) C-Rank

 **Naruto's Bukijutsu Techniques:**

 **Ryoku Boku** (Power Strike) No Rank

 **Kagekoku** (Shadow Strike) C-Rank

 **Saigeki** (Crushing Strike) D-Rank

* * *

 **Over 15000 words in this chapter alone. That is a new personal best. Sorry i didn't update when I said I would. But as Fanfiction was experiencing difficulties I didn't want a repeat of the last time I updated. So I postponed it until I was certain everything was fixed. As this is a long chapter and since I just discovered I'm slightly dyslexic, turns out my mother's side has a history while my father's has one for ADHD, which I also have, there may be some spelling errors, missing words, or wrong words put in place. I will fix them though. I know the difference between words but the mind thinks you've done something and you've seen something else instead of what is supposed to be there.**

 **I also have an announcement. The Wave ARC starts very soon and there will be a few changes.**

 **Two, I've started a bit on my Harry Potter/Gamer fanfiction story. It's just a side project and prototype at the moment. I have a poll going on so take a look.**

 **Thank you all for reviewing. Give me tons of the, 80-90, and I'll update by next friday!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Do the Wave**

 **(Two Months Later)**

"One, two, three, FOUR!" Naruto shouted the last one and swung with all his might. The Konoha jinchuriki watched as the zombie's head flew off its shoulders before it impacted with the wall.

"Hey, watch it!" Ino shouted before she ended the existence of another zombie with her foot.

"I said four!" Naruto told her before he used **Katon: Enso Kaenjin no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Circle Flame Formation Technique) on the horde that surrounded him. Within moments the zombies were either reduced to ash or soon to be. Further away the boy heard an explosion and knew some of his fuinjutsu traps had been activated.

"BARKKK!" Hottomaru's primal cry was heard and Naruto watched at the large ninken barreled into a foursome of zombies. His flaming and powerful maw was crushing one's skull while he pinned and raked at the two downed ones. The fourth one that tried to land a sneak attack on him was bifurcated by his sudden spin and swipe of his claws.

" **Suiton: Suitsui no Jutsu** (Water Release: Water Hammer Technique)!" Naruto watched as Hinata's arms became enveloped by a coat of water from the nearby barrels. The Hyuga effortlessly blocked the strikes of the zombies and countered with her own precise ones.

Against the zombies targeting the chakra points was essentially useless as they had no chakra. However, targeting some of the organs and bones was different. While running on basic instincts the brain of a zombie still sent electrical signals to the body in sporadic spurts in order for them to move. The bones were essentially what enabled them the stability and ability to move. Destroy the bone and, though still "alive" in a sense, the zombie would no longer be able to move said limb or body.

As Hinata ended the last zombie near her, the dungeon shook and everyone knew exactly what it meant. "Boss time!" Naruto announced. All four of them proceeded to make their way towards the center of the dungeon and watched as the mass of undead converged on one another before they formed the **Legion Zombie**.

"You two wanna handle this or… never mind!" Naruto deadpanned as he watched Ino make her move. It was a stark contract to when she first encountered the **Legion Zombie**. Naruto still winced whenever he thought of the ear splitting scream. "Hinata, you mind keeping her out of trouble."

"Hai, Naruto-kun," she blushed before her face morphed into one of concentration and made to join her fellow kunoichi.

"Hey, ugly!" Ino shouted to get the **Legion Zombie's** attention. The plan worked and the slightly, a large emphasis on slightly, more intelligent undead gazed at Ino. The large mass of zombies moved to grab her but could only look on confused as its prey disappeared from its gaze. As it searched for the blonde, the dungeon boss completely missed Hinata's form.

Pulling out a scroll, Hinata nicked her thumb and drew blood on the sealing matrix. The action causing he seal to glow before it unleashed a large amount of water in the vicinity.

" **Suiton: Suiryuben** (Water Release: Water Dragon Whip)!" from the water an orb formed and soon launched a series of whips at the **Legion Zombie**. Several of the whips of water had miniature dragon heads attached to the ends of them while others had spear heads. The spear heads pierced into the boss's rotten and decaying flesh, eliciting a roar from the zombie. The dragon heads coiled around the creature's leg once, and then twice before they bit into the appendage.

" **Raiton: Jibashi** (Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder)!" Ino shouted and shot a surge of electric power into the water. Having mastered the technique through continuous use and practice in dungeons and training with Anko using it had become second nature for Ino.

Currents of electrical energy coursed through the water and technique and lit up the large behemoth. The dungeon boss roared in defiance and broke free from the water technique but the damage was done. With the area still flooded with water, and the **Legion's** feet still in them, Ino amplified her technique's power even more. However, the zombie ignored the pain and damage that it was receiving and continued to make its way towards her.

"BAARKKKK!" the sudden noise cut the zombie off guard and it had no time to react as a flaming drill tore through its shoulder and severed the limb from its place. The action caused by the beast dealt a massive amount of damage and causing the appendage to fall onto a building. The severed limb crushing it in the process, while the **Legion Zombie** clutched at the stump of a shoulder.

" **Saigeki** (Crushing Strike)!" Naruto swung and struck at the **Legion's** kneecaps. Upon impact a loud, painful, and audible crack resonated throughout the area. With its support now gone the zombie fell to the ground and was only able to keep itself from falling face first with its remaining arm.

Even then the boss wasn't out for the count and Naruto had to block from the sudden swing it launched at him. With his increased strength the boy wasn't harmed all that much but he was still sent a good distance away.

" **Suiton: Mizu Hari** (Water Release: Water Needles)!" from the water small but sharp spikes formed before they launched themselves at the **Legion Zombie.**

" **Raiton: Fuicchimyaku no Justu** (Lightning Release: Dissonance Pulse Technique)!" as she finished forming the hand seals, Ino outstretched her arms. The palms of her hands were open and from them came forth a swift circular wave of energy.

" **Renkeijutsu: Geki Rekkō** (Co-Operation Technique: Raging Light Fangs)!" the two kunoichi announced their combination technique. Soon the water needles became brighter, and moved more quickly as the lighting enhanced them. The two kunoichi looked on as their technique lanced through the air and began piercing at the **Legion's** head. While both Ino and Hinata lacked the natural knack and raw power Naruto had when it came to ninjutsu both of them had two things he didn't with them: compatibility and control.

When Anko first began to explain the concept of combination techniques two important factors came to mind. A person's chakra needed to mesh properly with another's in order to work. In other words, be just as strong or close enough to one another.

The other was the overall power and control put into a technique. Too much and the weaker technique would be overpowered by the other and fail in the process. The control was important as it helped shape the technique and allowed it to stabilize as well. Both parties needed to participate equally.

With Naruto it was too difficult as while his control was pretty good his chakra was too strong and large compared to Ino's and Hinata's. Naruto's techniques also centered too much on raw power than finesse compared to the two kunoichi. Meaning combination ninjutsu with them was not possible at the moment and Naruto would have to stick with using Shadow Clones.

However, while the combination technique created was a B-Rank one, the two kunoichi had yet to fully master the technique and began to feel the strain on their reserves. The two having only just come up with the technique a couple of weeks ago and through a large amount of practice they had gotten it down to a decent level. But both knew it would be a couple more weeks of continuous training in the dungeons and practice before the strain no longer bothered them.

But even with it not being perfected the technique did what it was set out to do. With its head being the most vulnerable area each powered needle that struck it caused a **Critical Hit**. With the amount of needles hitting it, along with the large amount of damage it had already been given, the **Legion Zombie** soon met its end at their hands.

 **Hinata's level has gone up by 1!**

 **Ino and Hinata's Renkeijutsu: Geki Rekkō has levelled up by l!**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hyuga Hinata**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Genin (10% EXP, Loot Increase)**

 **Level: 21 Next Level: 659.05/25,200**

 **Reputation Level: Exalted (1360/12000)**

 **Specialization: Combat Medical Ninja**

 **HP: 1175**

 **CP: 1275**

 **STR: 31**

 **VIT: 47**

 **DEX: 91**

 **INT: 51**

 **WIS: 133**

 **LUK: 22**

 **DEF: 70**

 **Perks:**

 **Byakugan:** +3 DEX per Lv, +20% EXP & Effectiveness towards Medical Ninjutsu, Detection, Sensing, and Taijutsu Skills, Capable of seeing virtually through everything, body pressure points and at far distances

 **Main Family Lineage:** +3 WIS & +1 DEX per Lv, +10% Effectiveness to all Hyuga Clan Skills, +10% Reputation gain with Konoha and Konoha Allies, +10% EXP and Effectiveness towards Bartering Skill with Konoha and Allies, +10% EXP and Effectiveness towards Taijutsu and Chakra Control Skill, Risk of capture from Kumo shinobi

 **Titles:**

 **Apprentice Juken Practitioner:** +2 WIS, +1 DEX, +1 INT, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Taijutsu Skill, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Chakra Control Skill

 **Apprentice Combat Medical Practitioner:** +3 WIS & +1 VIT per level, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Medical Ninjutsu and Herbalism Skills, +15% Effectiveness towards Evasion & Blocking, -15% CP Cost towards Medical Ninjutsu

 **Veteran Zombie Slayer:** +60% increase attack and defense against Undead, +20 towards stats when facing Undead, +25% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Status Effect:**

 **Minor-Diffidence:** -10% to all stats, -10% EXP earned from monsters, -10% EXP and Effectiveness towards Skills, Self Confidence Issues **,** Can potentially become irreversible if progressed too far

 **Description: Hinata is a very kind but very shy young girl who comes from one of Konoha's four noble clans. Despite being trained in the art of the Gentle Fist at a young age, a renowned and deadly taijutsu, Hinata's skill is lacking for reasons currently unknown. While not one of the best students in the academy Hinata is still one of the more intelligent students. While most of the girls in her class are infatuated with Sasuke, Hinata is attracted to someone else. During her time in Team Eight her skills and confidence have slowly but surely improved. Her love for cinnamon rolls is said to rival Uzumaki Naruto's love for ramen.**

 **Stats: 4**

 **Money:** 678,456 Ryo (67,845.60$)

* * *

As Naruto entered the scene, the blond watched as the **Legion Zombie** turned into particles of light, signalling its defeat. The blond ninja was about to go for the loot before the boy felt a tremor and sweatdropped as he saw Midori wreck havoc in the distance. "You mind getting that stuff? I need to stop Anko-sensei before she ruins this place."

"No offence, Naruto, but how much more ruined can this place get? It's not exactly the capital you know?" Ino emphasized as she gazed upon the burning or ruined buildings all around her.

"Arf!" Hottomaru agreed with her and though Hinata didn't voice her opinion she too agreed with Ino.

"Right," Naruto drawled and had to concede to her point. "But you guys know what she's gonna do after this right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ino waved him off as she went to collect the loot. "Just try not to hurt yourself. You know how Anko-sensei hates it when someone interrupts her fun," all four shuddered at the last part. Anko's idea of fun was exceptionally unique compared to that of others.

As he approached the area where Anko was Naruto shivered as he heard his Jonin instructor. "Die, zombies! Die!" Anko laughed as she unleashed fire technique after fire technique on the horde of undead. Right behind her was the enormous form of Midori. The green and deadly serpent hissed and used her long body to crush them. Other times she used it as a whip to send them flying. Ending the pitiful existence of the undead when they came back down.

" _Oh, well. I had a good life,_ " he thought. It amazed him that even after all this time with her the woman still frightened him. Then again the woman had a sadistic streak that was unmatched in Konoha, as far as he knew. Plus having a giant and powerful serpent at her beck and call helped.

"Hey, Ank-WHOAA!" he ducked under a hailstorm of metal objects, "Oi!"

"Gaki, you should know better!" Naruto honestly didn't know if Anko knew he was there beforehand or if she was acting on instinct. Part of him was leaning more towards the former given her teaching methods.

"The **Legion Zombie's** been taken care of," he informed her and winced slightly as Midori used her tail to wipe out four buildings. The action caused debris to fail and crush the bodies of zombies and nearby **Wailing Cats** in the process. Naruto didn't feel sorry for the cats.

"Already?" though Anko wasn't all that surprised. The group had abused Naruto's dungeon creation ability in order to not only level up but also become more proficient in the skills they had. The only reason why they entered this one despite the low level was because the other **Instant Dungeon Creation** dungeons were too high a level for them to handle at the moment and the natural dungeons had yet to reset. They still entered the stronger Instant Creation Dungeons to level up and increase their skills more quickly but the stronger foes resulted in them having to retreat. On the plus side it now allowed something very, very useful.

Through his constant use of the ability Naruto was now able to influence the flow of time in the dungeons, to a certain extent of course. As it was, every four hours in a dungeon resulted in in one hour passing by in the real world. The longest they had ever stayed in a dungeon though had been seven hours though.

Anko thought it to be a blessing as it allowed them more time to train, get loot, rest, and complete missions. However, Anko also knew that as a result they aged more quickly biologically. Though two months had passed, theoretically speaking it had been two months and close to seventeen or nineteen days for the team. It wasn't much but if done for a year it meant an extra one hundred and five days or so. Anko didn't doubt that with more use Naruto would be able to lengthen the time as well. Though given it had taken roughly six months for this ability to appear it would be quite a long while before it did.

While she would have liked to continue with her thought, Anko was drawn away from them as she spotted the rest of her team enter the scene, "Anything good?" Anko asked the two kunoichi.

"Not this time," Ino shook her head, "Just some cash and a few potions. No orb or scroll though," Ino sounded dejected and Naruto groaned as he heard this. It wasn't uncommon but with his **Master Zombie Slayer** title he thought they'd at least get a scroll. Because of the amount of times they entered this dungeon Ino, Hinata, and Anko had similar titles as well.

"Ah, well, no big loss," Anko shrugged. Through the amount of missions they did and the dungeons they conquered the team had gathered a decent amount of loot and money. Not getting one here was not that big a deal. "Is the dungeon cleared yet, gaki?" Anko asked.

Opening up a screen that showed the dungeon's overall layout, a new feature for levelling up his **IDC Skill** , Naruto gave it a look over, "No there's still-"

Boom!

"… Never mind," he deadpanned as the remaining dungeon foes were taking care of by his **Trap Seal: Exploding Earth Immolation** skill. "That's all of them," he said.

"Oh, good. In that case, dance my puppets. Dance!" Anko cackled as she threw a series of kunai and shuriken at her students. Many of the weapons promptly exploded upon impact. If one were to walk in on the scene they would think the woman's training method to be overboard, cruel, and bat shit insane.

They would be correct in their assumption.

But two things came into play that many wouldn't factor. The first being Anko, like many Jonin before her, was simulating an actual combat scenario. In this case, Anko was simulating the effects of what was to come should her team ever face a member of the Iwa's Explosion Corps or someone with the Explosion Release Bloodline Limit.

Anko had fought against such individuals and managed to survive the encounter by the skin of her teeth, if barely that. Against such individuals one needed to be quick on their feet, gain the element of surprise, and catch them unaware to end it as quickly as possible. And not necessarily in that order.

The other thing was that Naruto was using his **ability** to allow them to dish it out in a dungeon. This was one of the new routines the team had. Once they got rid of all the monsters and collected the drops from them, Anko had them get to work on training. As it was considered a friendly spar/mock situation Anko didn't have to worry about her team once their HP hit zero as it would merely knock them out instead. Though they needed to clear the dungeon of all monsters before they could do so apparently.

" _Gotta love the perks that thing gives,_ " Anko was still slightly envious of the ability but the woman wasn't about to complain. Especially when she considered the perks and benefits her team got when using it.

" **Suiton: Suiben no Jutsu** (Water Release: Water Whip Technique)!" though lacking the sound of a cracking whip, the technique had the same principle and made to wrap itself around Anko. The woman proved too quick for the technique, however; and as she jumped away she watched as it was reduced to no more than regular water.

" **Tenshokyaku** (Heaven Ascension Legs)!" Anko heard and watched as Ino leaped upwards into the air and began launching a series of kicks while spinning repeatedly. The kicks came in very quick and Anko would admit the blonde kunoichi had gotten much better at using the taijutsu she had learned. She still had quite some time before she got it down to a decent level however.

Had this been used against another weaker foe such as a Genin, maybe even a Chunin, it would have caught them off guard. With Anko the woman merely batted or blocked the kicks with ease before she grabbed one leg. Ino, however; countered by launching another kick but it too was caught.

The moment they hit the ground did a grin make itself known on Anko's face, making Ino sweat nervously as a result. The trapped kunoichi couldn't do anything before her teacher spun and then released her into the air. The Yamanaka releasing a series of curses that made Anko proud and would have made a sailor blush.

" _Eh, she'll be fine… I hope_ ," she added the last part when she heard a crash. Ino, much like the rest of the team, had improved by a large amount but she still had much to learn. Had she actually been a member of the famous Iwa corps Ino would have been greatly injured. Against one with the Bakuton, Taijutsu was one of the worst possible things to do. It was only used as a very last resort or if they were extremely fast and powerful to endure the powerful concussive and fiery blows. Ino had certainly improved but nowhere to that extent. Anko didn't doubt she could get there if she put in the effort and time, but not now though.

" **Ryoku Boku** (Power Strike)!" a shout from above was all the warning Anko needed before she bailed out of the area. No sooner had she left did the earth buckle and crack under the force of the blow delivered to it.

" _Why did I let him buy that thing?!_ " Anko winced a bit as she looked at the scene. Had that struck her Anko knew she would have been in for a world of hurt. Anko thanked her lucky stars that while the **Gamer** ability he had simulated pain it also allowed her to heal more quickly with the use of certain skills and items. Though some still remained as the exception.

"Naruto smash!" Anko deadpanned at the childish battle cry and if he didn't have the weapon she would have slapped him upside the head. Instead she opted to dodge once more out of the weapon's reach.

To compensate for the loss of his Bo Staff, Naruto had gone to Tetsu and ordered another blunt weapon. In this case, a bloody fucking **Kanabo** (Iron Mace). A long, studded or spiked, studded in this case, weapon that was made for crushing and smashing things with ease. This one was a little over four feet in length but with Naruto's better diet and increasing strength, both physically and skill wise, he had no problem wielding it. The blond was the living embodiment of the old saying " **Oni ni Kanabo** (Oni with an Iron Mace)". Which basically meant it was like giving an already strong individual a tool and making them even stronger.

" _And strong as hell he is,_ " Anko thought. Physically speaking Naruto's strength was greater than hers, especially with the **Goriki** (Hard Strength). Because of the amount of times he used the skill it had not only reduced the amount of chakra needed but also the length of it. The STR boost it gave remained the same unfortunately but the fact he could use it longer and with less chakra was still pretty damn good.

* * *

 **Naruto's "Goriki (Hard Strength)" skill has levelled up by 1!**

 **Congratulations you have "Mastered" the Goriki (Hard Strength)skill!**

 **As a result the skill has been upgraded to Ninpo: Kongoriki** (Ninja Art: Adamantine Strength)!

 **Ninpo: Kongoriki** (Ninja Art: Adamantine Strength) A-Rank. Lv. 1 Next Lv. 0/75. **CP Usage: 350 per 10 minutes.** An enhanced version of the Goriki, this skill greatly strengthens the user's muscles to event greater heights than before. Allowing them to hit harder, lift heavier objects, jump even further, throw objects even further and with deadlier force. As an added bonus it also offers a defense boost as well.

* Increases STR by 90 for 10 minutes.

* Increases Defence by 30.

* Increases Taijutsu and Bukijutsu Power by 30%.

* Increases Blocking and Grappling Effectiveness by 30%

* * *

"Oh, no," Anko paled.

" _Fuck yeah!"_ Naruto cheered as his technique finally upgraded. It had taken a long time but it final happened. Eyeing Anko, who didn't like the look in his eye, Naruto shouted out his newest technique.

" **Ninpo: Kongoriki** (Ninja Art: Adamantine Strength)!" Naruto's eyes opened widely as a surge of energy flowed through him like no other. The surge was similar to the **Goriki** but much more powerful and pleasant. Raising his weapon, Naruto just as quickly brought it down with the might of a thunderbolt. " **Saigasho** (Crushing Fang Impact)!"

Anko's eyes bulged as the earth buckled under the blow of the attack. The moment it hit home did a fissure that was longer than five meters become visible on the ground. Beforehand Naruto had only been able to make one less than seven feet and now before her was one of much greater length.

"Oh, shit on a stick," Anko chuckled nervously as her senior student eyed her. No doubt wanting to dish out some payback for the last couple of month. As she thought about, Anko couldn't help but think back on that time.

A little over two and a half months had gone by ever since Anko had gotten her first Genin team. Two months since her team's very first C-Rank mission, borderline B-Rank because of the creature that had popped out at the end. It had been two whole months of pain, sweat, and tears. Though, if they were honest, it had been mostly tears. Anko had loved making them cry.

During that time the Genin and ninken of Team Eight learned first-hand just how sadistic and brutal Anko and Midori could be when it came to training. The members of the team thought the woman had been sadistic before during their first two weeks, and rightfully so. One day into the new training/torture regime did they realize that the old one had been a walk in the park compared to the new one. They had actually missed the previous method.

Anko had trained them harder, longer, and with even more unorthodox methods that they thought was possible to come from a human being. But all four knew that Anko never did anything half assed or used the more conventional means compared to others. They'd be surprised if she did.

As a result of the new training their schedule ended up being changed in the process. All four would wake up earlier in the morning, much to their displeasure, and trained till they dropped. Anko would then have Hinata heal them or use ointments that helped them recover more quickly. Once Ino learned it as well she would do the same.

Naruto had learned that medical ninjutsu allowed one to not only heal but also lower a person's fatigue levels as well little by little. Though tempted to learn such a useful skill, Naruto's chakra levels were too damn high for it to be possible. The ratio of a person's WIS to INT more or less needed to have been greater or damn near equal in amount in order to learn and use medical ninjutsu or genjutsu.

Though a shame at not being able to learn such a useful skill himself the act had given Hinata, and later on Ino, a great deal of practice in using medical ninjutsu. Though both were good at the skill it was clear to everyone that Hinata was the more talented one when it came to medicines. Part of it having to do because of her greater chakra control and the perks she had.

Naruto knew that he wouldn't be good at everything he did as much as wanted to. Everyone had their own strengths. For him his greatest forte was his stamina and ninjutsu, though he had a knack for kenjutsu and taijutsu too. He could fight longer and use some of the more destructive skills no one in his team besides Hottomaru and Anko. The ninken's strengths were in his physical capabilities, his ability to take a hit, and his bite. The latter one now hurting a lot more than it used to ever since he unlocked his ability to use Katon techniques.

For Ino her strengths were similar to Anko's. Which was her natural grace, her knowledge of plant life and poisons, her seduction and T&I skills. All of which had only been enhanced when Anko began to give her a more in depth approach. For Hinata it was her chakra control, medical expertise, her attention to detail, and improving taijutsu. The shy wallflower of the team had demonstrated quite a knack for understanding concepts that Naruto didn't.

As a result of the dungeon use, the training method, and the missions they completed they improved much of their skills and had levelled up by quite a decent amount in the last couple of months. While Anko originally thought five to six levels wasn't that much, she had to remember that if a chakra mutation's level was too low, her team's level was too high, and they fought as a group then little to no EXP was given as a result. There was also the fact that as they levelled up the amount of EXP needed to level up increased in tandem. An upside, however; was because they reached level twenty they were now allowed to **Specialize**. This in essence gave them access to special titles that would increase in potency as they grew stronger. Though they were only able to specialize in something they were good at.

Naruto she wasn't surprised to see had chosen the **Ninjutsu Specialist**. Good as he was with the sword and taijutsu the boy was much better at ninjutsu. Hinata upon reaching the level had chosen the **Combat Medic Specialist** , which as a result changed one of the titles she had in the process. Ino had taken the **T &I Specialist **title but she could only have three titles until she reached level twenty-five like Naruto. This meant Ino would have to switch in one title with another.

" **Futon: Daitoppa** (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!" Naruto summoned a bellow of wind that flung debris and ripped stone off the buildings that surrounded them. Anko however, had seen the move coming and ducked into the alleyways to evade the attack.

" **Geki** **Kyokujitsu** (Violent Sun Rise)!" Anko ducked under the kick that threatened to take her head off and retaliated with a slash of her kunai. As expected, the Naruto before her turned into a puff of smoke. Anko knew it wasn't going to be the last of them either.

"This is gonna be a long training day," as much as Anko liked abusing Naruto's **Gamer** ability, she hated when he abused his ability to use Shadow Clones during their training sessions. The fact he had gotten better at using them strategically, though good in the long run, only added fuel to the fire.

* * *

(Sometime Later)

After their morning was session was over with, doing a combination of potion intake and having a decent one hour break to reduce fatigue, and recover their CP and HP, Team Eight made their way over to the Hokage Tower for their pick of the day.

"Team Eight reporting for duty, Umino, Hokage-sama," Anko grinned at the scarred Chunin and her village leader before her.

"Anko," Hiruzen smiled at the energetic woman. "Training hard, I see," he chuckled as he eyed the woman's team.

"You know it. Now it's mission time. Whatcha got for us?" she asked but didn't like the look on Hiruzen's apologetic face.

"Sadly, I regret to say that no C-Rank missions are available at the moment, Anko," Hiruzen informed the now downtrodden group. As it was Team Eight had already accomplished six C-Rank missions. Though only one of them had been outside Konoha's walls they had been C-Rank ones nonetheless and had been accomplished rather well, too. The other teams, including those lead by Kakashi and Asuma respectively, had yet to accomplish even one. Though if everything went well then Kakashi's team would accomplish their first one within a couple of weeks or so.

As the Third God of Ninja was about to ask them for their pick of the D-Rank missions, the man heard a frantic knock on his door. Sensing it was Mariko, the man allowed her entry and watched as she burst in with a look of worry, "Hokage-sama, we've received a missive from Hatake-san requesting back up!"

"What!" a stunned Hiruzen all but demanded and took the scroll from his secretary's hands. The man quickly read through its contents and scowled at what he processed. "Thank you, Mariko-chan, you're dismissed," he informed his secretary.

"Something wrong, Jiji?" Naruto asked his surrogate grandfather while Mariko vacated the room.

"I'm afraid so, Naruto-kun. Close to five days ago I allowed Team Seven to take their first C-Rank mission. I didn't think much of it as it was nothing more than a simply escort mission from here to Nami no Kuni. At most I thought they'd encounter a few bandits and it would allow them to be whipped into shape. Kakashi has had slow success in getting them to work together despite passing his test. The two of us thought that a potential encounter would get them to start acting like a proper team," the man told the group.

"I'm going on a limb here and guess it didn't end the way it was hoped?" Anko interjected.

"That would be putting it lightly, I'm afraid. Not three days into it do they encounter the Demon Brothers," Hiruzen informed them and Iruka developed a look of worry. Kakashi he knew could handle himself, but the Genin were fresh out of the academy and this was their first combat experience with another hostile group. Bandits were one thing as the common bandit knew little to nothing on how to use chakra. Rogue nin were a different matter.

"Demon Brothers… Hey, aren't those two missing ninja from Kiri or something?" Naruto asked. Having kept the Bingo Book Tetsu had gifted him, Naruto had given it a look over. The prospect of making large amounts of money through other means had crossed his mind.

"Kirigakure, yes," the man confirmed, "Apparently they were hired by President Gato."

"Gato? As in the billionaire shipping magnet of the Gato Company? That Gato?" Hiruzen's nod confirmed Anko's query, "What's a rich guy like him got to do with this?"

"Apparently Gato's more that he would appear," Hiruzen elaborated by reiterating the details that Kakashi had managed to get out of Tazuna. By the end of the brief, neither one of them had been pleased by the turn of events. The fact that Gato was responsible for bringing a small country to near ruin, Tazuna lying and putting a team of Konoha shinobi's lives at risk, and the fact that Kakashi and his team continued on despite the potential danger they'd face. Though for the last part it was more complicated as Tazuna basically blackmailed them with his sob story. The last thing Konoha needed was a bad reputation of jumping ship when things got a little rocky. Especially when they were nearing the Chunin exams in a few months.

"Hokage-sama, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I'm afraid we have few to spare at the moment," Iruka flinched lightly under his leader's gaze.

"How?" he asked the man.

"Well, Hokage-sama, as you know, with the Chunin Exams nearing many of our forces are making sure our borders are being well guarded. Then there's the other ninja already on duty and performing missions of their own. Squads in the field patrolling Hi no Kuni, and then there's shinobi that are helping with the preparations for the exams and of course meeting with the merchants and potential clients wanting to do business. Then you have those sent off on diplomatic missions and liaising with the other countries to make sure nothing goes wrong and to sort out the finer details. We're stretched thin as it is," Iruka explained.

While Konoha had a large force of ninja of various ranks, twenty odd percent of them were Genin rank, thirty to forty percent were Chunin to Jonin rank, fifteen odd percent were Anbu rank, and the rest were non-combative such as medics, cryptologists, and retired ninja. As it was only the Genin percent, not including their instructors, were available. However, most weren't ready or out on the field.

As he listed off the reasons why, Hiruzen could only shake his head. What Iruka said made a lot of sense. The Chunin Exams were a very hectic period. Problems and other such duties needed to be handled delicately before they even began. It wasn't the first time that others used this opportunity for their own benefit. Either through subterfuge of the exams themselves to give their own team an edge or by taking advantage of having their border-guard lightly weakened while the exams took place.

Loathed as he wanted to do it, and loathed he did, Hiruzen knew he had no choice, "Team Eight, as of right now you are to undertake an emergency B-Rank mission with the chance of it potentially becoming an A-Rank mission. You are to assist Team Seven as much as possible and find out as much as you can about Gato. Preferably, I want him brought back alive for questioning," Anko and Iruka didn't miss the hidden message. Bringing him back alive was the most desired outcome but should he die it wouldn't be that big a deal, "You're to leave as soon as possible."

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **A or B but definitely not C!**

 **Main Quest 1: Assist Team Seven in protecting Tazuna!**

 **Main Quest 2: Gather as much information and evidence on Gato!**

 **Side Quest: Assist the inhabitants of Nami no Kuni!**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Potential Rewards**

 **Main Quest 1: 20,500 EXP, 300,000 RYO, +6 Attribute Points, Reputation with Nami becomes Exalted!**

 **Main Quest 2: 20,500 EXP 300,000 RYO, +6 Attribute Points, ?, ?**

 **Side Quest: 3000 EXP, ?, ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Failure: 3300 EXP, Reputation level with Nami becomes forever Abhorred, Potential Death of group members or worse, Potential chance of Permanent Crippling Injury Status Effect, Potential Loss of Genin Rank, ?**

 **Quest is Mandatory!**

* * *

All five members of Team Eight had to refrain themselves as the quest window popped up. While the potential rewards were tantalizing and great, the failure part of it wasn't all that inspiring at the moment.

"Hokage-sama, you can't be serious!" Iruka interjected.

"I am, Iruka, and believe me I wouldn't send them if I didn't have any other choice. While Team Eight doesn't have much mission experience out of Konoha they still have more experience in combat missions than Team Ten. Team Nine would be preferable but they're at least a week away from Konoha at the moment and we don't have time to wait for their return. Plus with their experience dealing with chakra mutations and Anko's ability to summon the chances are more in their favour than the other Genin teams we have."

"Agreed but-"

"We don't have time to debate, Iruka, and last I recalled I am the leader of this village," he chastised the now subdued Chunin. "I know you're worried, I am too, but I have faith in Anko and her team to see this through. Part of being a teacher is knowing when to let go and to trust in your students, Iruka."

Though the man didn't meet his eyes, he reluctantly nodded to his leader wisdom, "Good. Anko, you and your team are to leave as soon as you can. Make sure you pack everything you need. Chances are you and your team won't be back for a couple of weeks or more. Dismissed!"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" the woman saluted her leader before ushering her team out of the room and then the building. "Alright, kiddoes, you heard the man. Get everything you think you'll need for this mission. This is the real deal here. We leave together and come back together. You have less than an hour to grab your shit, inform your clans and then head for the north gate. Go!"

Instantly the Genin left to better prepare for what was to come. Naruto himself, and by proxy so was Hotto, were already ready and raring to go thanks to his **Inventory Box** having everything that was needed. His team had their own too but couldn't change their equipment the same way he did for some reason. Store and take them out, yes, but they'd lose access to it when the party disbanded. Luckily it was a simple matter of not uninviting them so the Gamer ability still granted them certain ability.

"Guess getting a few more supplies wouldn't hurt," he thought before he headed to Tetsu's. It wouldn't hurt to have an added supply of shuriken and kunai.

After a quick trip to the weapon and armour store, Naruto changed into his **Custom-Made Ninja Combat Armour Set** and passed the time by using the **Gear Maintenance Skill** on his equipment. The boy also made a few **Medium Grade Exploding Seals** as well on the off chance he'd need them. Hottomaru wore a new set of armour made from the hides from the dinosaur dungeon. The old one having become too small and used up. Appearance wise it was pretty much the same but the difference was that this armour changed in size when Hotto transformed into his larger self.

When thirty odd minutes had passed by, Naruto spotted both Ino and Hinata nearing the gate. Both kunoichi he noticed wore different garbs than before and Naruto instantly recognized them as some of the past loot they had gotten from past dungeon conquering.

Ino sported the gauntlets known as **Dakatsu's Bite** on her arms and wore what was known as the **Taoyameno no Koromo** (Robe of the Sylph/Graceful Young Woman). The robe being a form of combat attire that was essentially reminiscent of a revealing purple kimono. While the attire didn't leave much to the imagination, turning more than a few heads when she wore it, nor did it offer a good deal of protection, it did have one thing going for it. In this case, the robe offered Ino a great boost in speed and evasion, which essentially complemented her fighting style. The fact that the robe was incredibly flexible as well was a bonus as it didn't impede Ino from using certain taijutsu techniques.

In Hinata's case the girl had something a little more modest. The Hyuga wearing an armour set that had apparently been made by her mother for Hinata herself, and potentially her younger sister. The set comprised of a loose fitting, lavender and cream hooded-jacket with lavender cuffs over mesh armour with navy blue pants and black, low-heeled sandals. For more added protection, Hinata had added a thin custom-made, but very durable, dark leather **muneate** (breastplate). The design similar to those used by kyudo practitioners. The breastplate actually being made from the dinosaur hides Naruto had collected in the **Primordial Dungeon.**

Around her neck he saw was the **Arumiko** **no Nenju** (Rosary of the Wandering Miko). It was a simple looking necklace that consisted of prayer beads and white magatama. To many it would be seen as worthless and nothing more than cheap jewellery. Though plain in appearance it offered a good deal of perks such as enhancing the effects of medical ninjutsu, resistance to poisons, and enhancing chakra control. But the most useful perks were the ability to erect ninjutsu barriers and erase her presence. If only for a short period of time before she had to wait to use the abilities again.

It had been pure luck that they even found the necklace in one of the more than unsavoury shops in the red light district that Anko introduced them to. Anko had chucked up the reason for being there as part of their training. While the reputation of such districts weren't great it was also a good place to find things. Things such as information and goods one couldn't find elsewhere. Naruto almost sort of felt bad for the person they bought the necklace from. Almost. Though still somewhat expensive to buy, it had practically been a steal all things considered. Though Naruto guessed it might have been stolen in the first place.

While Hinata didn't have a set of weapons like himself and Ino, the girl did have a set of seals underneath her wrist guards known as **Raikō Kenka** (Lightning Flash Blade Creation). Their creation had been Naruto's doing after a ton of trial and error before he finally got them perfect. They were currently the highest level of **Fuinjutsu** in his arsenal at the moment and it enabled the girl the ability to summon sealed senbon. With her eyesight, accuracy, and knowledge of the human anatomy it was used to great effect. Especially, when they needed to incapacitate a creature or someone without killing them.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" Anko appeared. The woman wore her Jounin outfit and vest for added protection but kept her low cut skirt. As her team nodded, Anko began to give them the rundown as they headed out, "Alright, at civilian pace Nami no Kuni is about a six to seven days away. At ninja pace it's about a day and a half to two days away. Kakashi's team has close to five days head start on us so we need to hustle. We stop only when we have to for a light break before we continue on. Hinata, how many **Fatigue Potions** do you have?"

"Six, Anko-sensei. I only have enough ingredients to only make two maybe three others," Hinata informed her. Due to her medical and herbalism skills reaching a good enough level, Hinata had been able to learn how to make **Low Grade** **Fatigue Potions** via a recipe they found.

The potions were essentially lesser versions of the **Military Rations Pill**. While they didn't recover chakra, health or nourish the body they did reduce the rate in which fatigue occurred by thirty percent for a couple of hours. The only downside was that the potion didn't taste all that great and it didn't reduce fatigue levels. The other was that the ingredients to make it weren't easy to find. Only certain dungeons and places in Konoha had the herbs required to make the potion and they were usually in low amounts. The upside to it was that unlike the pills it didn't completely exhaust them to the point of uselessness once the effects ran their course.

"We'll use em sparingly but if push comes to shove we'll have to use em up on the last day. Let's just hope Hatake's team doesn't get into any trouble before we get there," the woman prayed.

Unfortunately, her hopes and prayers would go unanswered.

* * *

 **(Nearing Two Days Later)**

The journey from Konoha to Nami no Kuni had pushed Anko's team to their limit and beyond. Both she and Naruto needed a good solid seven to eight hours before they needed to stop, Ino and Hinata were another story. While both had improved by a considerable amount in the last two months, they still had a while to go. Anko had certainly improved their stamina to the point they could last a good four to six hours in a training session before they ran out of steam.

However, a major difference was that during those sessions they had the opportunity to rest momentarily, recover, and pace themselves. If Team Eight was to reach Team Seven within the allotted time Anko mentioned then it meant they'd have to go faster and occasionally at full tilt from time to time. Truthfully Anko had planned on teaching them how to get used to it next month when Ino and Hinata's stamina were at a decent enough level for it. Fate or bad luck it seemed had decided otherwise.

As it was, both Ino and Hinata could only last a good three or so hours before they were forced to slow down. As a result of this, both Anko and Naruto, plus a Shadow Clone when Hotto became tired, had been forced to give them piggyback rides until they were well rested enough to continue on their own. Through the use of medical ninjutsu they managed to reduce their fatigue levels at a decent rate, even if it meant chakra loss. While using Shadow Clones would have been ideal the act would have caused them to transfer their fatigue over to Naruto when they disappeared. Essentially it would have been counter productive. Through his use of **Goriki** the ordeal had been made easier for him when he carried one of his teammates than it was for Anko. Luckily the use of the potions allowed them to last longer when they hit the road once more.

When it was late in the evening, the group set up tents in a secured location. When they were set up, Ino and Hinata used medical ninjutsu to help their weary bodies. Afterwards they ate lightly and then rested for the night. The use of a couple hidden **Shadow Clones** and minor snake summons as a night watch helped them immensely. Both Ino and Hinata made a point of learning the technique once their reserves were large enough. Anko originally wanted them to take shifts but knew all of them needed a full night's rest if they were to make it to Nami at a decent time the next day. Anko also didn't want Ino and Hinata to rely on Naruto's Shadow Clone Technique for this sort of thing as they needed the experience. Naruto wouldn't always be there and they'd have to do this on their own in the future. But the woman found her statement to be made redundant if they made plans to learn the technique. Once it became apparent that they weren't going to be ambushed, the clones had dispelled themselves and left the night watch for the summons.

After a decent night's rest, the group sealed up their tent and then journeyed onward towards Nami early in the morning. It was well into the afternoon before they came across a large stretch of open water that separated them from their goal. Luckily all of them knew how to walk on water but had been forced to submerge themselves a couple of times when they spotted patrol boats. By the time they reached the other side the group was drenched and the cold air wasn't helping them. Naruto was just glad he wasn't wearing his Crimson Cloak of the Fire Rat. The useful item didn't do well with water.

"Wish I knew a clothes drying technique," Naruto muttered behind his facemask. With his **Gamer** ability Naruto had been able to switch into his spare and dry armour set. The three kunoichi and Hottomaru weren't so lucky. "But this works too," he grinned and missed the dirty looks from Ino, Anko, and Hotto. Even Hinata looked a tad annoyed at the comment.

As they moved further inland, Team Eight had been forced to a walking pace as their vision slowly became obstructed, "Is it me or is this mist weird?"

Anko had to agree with her student's intuition. Anko had come across a number of mists before but this one seemed unnaturally thick in her mind. "Hinata," the woman didn't have to ask the Hyuga twice and the young girl's eyes changed into her clan's Dojutsu.

"This mist is filled with chakra," Hinata winced lightly at how bright the light of the chakra reflected in her eyes.

"Fuck, the **Kirigakure no Jutsu** (Hidden in the Mist Technique)," Anko scowled and began to worry. Here team tensed and instantly became more alert. Though Anko couldn't simulate the effects of fighting against Kiri ninja like she did with the Explosion Corps of Iwa the woman had given them the gist of what to expect. Though the **Kirigakure** was simple it was a technique that was often used to deadly effect from Kiri ninja. Especially when used by those trained in the **Silent Killing** fighting style.

"Stay sharp, and suppress your chakra as much as possible. There's no telling who we may encounter," the woman spoke in a hushed tone and her team didn't need to be told twice. With Ino and Hinata the act was easy, especially given Hinata's necklace. Even Hottomaru knew instinctively how to erase or minimize his chakra and presence. For Naruto not as much given the large amount the blond had. Even when suppressed the boy still gave off a decent amount of chakra. Though in this case the chakra he gave off was more like a flashlight in the dark than a roaring bonfire. Anko just hoped luck was on their side and whoever was using this was distracted enough.

As they moved further into the mist, they noticed it had become even thicker. However, through the use of her Byakugan, with some strain from the stinging her eyes felt, Hinata managed to locate an area where it was less prominent. As luck would have it the area not only offered more visibility but also better coverage with the trees. The large oaks, assuming that's what they were, offered them a better vantage point to survey the area. But it begged the question. "Where's it coming from?" Ino wondered.

The answer to her question made itself known as the group heard the sound of steel clashing against steel. The sound was close and within half a minute was Team Eight able to pinpoint the location. There was just one major problem and it presented itself when the mist cleared, "Oh, fan-fucking-tastic," Anko cursed as she spotted a trapped Kakashi and the one beside him.

Naruto himself chanced a look at the man with his **Observe** and didn't like what he and his team saw.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Momochi Zabuza – Elite Shinobi**

 **Job: Nukenin**

 **Bounty: 50 Million Ryo**

 **Level: ?**

 **Reputation: ?**

 **Specialization: ?**

 **HP: ?**

 **CP: ?**

 **STR: ?**

 **VIT: ?**

 **DEX: ?**

 **INT: ?**

 **WIS: ?**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: ?**

 **Perks:**

 **?:?**

 **Titles:**

 **?:?**

Description: Momochi Zabuza, aka the Demon of the Bloody Mist, is an infamous A-Rank Nukenin of Kirigakure no Sato with a bloody history and reputation. At the tender age of nine, Zabuza slaughtered well over one hundred academy students for reason yet unknown. From then on he would go to prove his worth as a Kiri shinobi by becoming the wielder of the Kubikiribōchō (Decapitating Carving Knife) and as a result become one of the elite Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Zabuza is notorious for his mastery over his sword and the use of the Kirigakure no Jutsu and the Silent Killing Technique. Few have ever seen Zabuza in battle as they usually end up dead before they know it. After a failed coup d'état against the Fourth Mizukage, Zabuza and several others fled from Kiri and has been on the run since. His presence is claimed to be seen by others in various countries, ranging from Kaze no Kuni to Kaminari no Kuni. However, because of his reputation of never leaving others alive, such sightings are rare and the validity of such claims are sparse at best.

 **Attribute Points: 3**

 **Money:** 0

* * *

" _As if the description aint bad enough this guy's a fucking Elite,_ " Naruto was worried for good reason. Elites were a special kind of ninja or foe that were much more powerful than those with the same level. In video games where as a normal creature of a certain breed might fall easily to a lone player, to defeat an elite creature of the same type required careful planning, a group of heroes, excellent tactics, or all three. All of now they had been lucky for not running into one. This wasn't going to be easy. A head on fight wasn't the answer. Naruto knew all of them but Anko would be toast if they attempted such a stunt without the element of surprise. They'd have to do this strategically. To make matters even worse, a series of clones were created and looked ready to reach at the team.

"So what do we do?" Naruto asked Anko.

"That's simple, improvise and think on the spot!" Anko informed them as she made her move. Her Genin were stunned but not surprised by the act. It was very Anko like and they didn't really have time to come up with a plan while Team Seven was moments away from being killed.

"Well, you heard her!" Naruto informed his team and along with Hottomaru he followed after his teacher.

" _Oh, we're all gonna die,_ " Ino slumped before she and Hinata followed in pursuit. At least they'd go out fighting.

As the Water Clones rushed at the Genin, Zabuza blinked as his creations were soon reduced to mere useless puddles of water, "The hell!" the man exclaimed and was forced to block a pair of kunai coming from a woman. Zabuza made to swipe at her but the woman leaped over the blade and managed to land a kick on his chest. It wasn't enough to send the man flying but it had enough force in it to release his hold on his **Suiro** (Water Prison).

"Shit," the man growled and held his sword in a more aggressive manner. Anko knew she'd have to be extra careful now. Even with Kakashi freed a single slip up would end her. "I thought I felt some rats skulking about," the man had originally thought it to be his imagination and now he was regretting it.

The missing ninja watched as the woman covered Kakashi as he got out of the water. Zabuza needed to end at least one of them quickly and rushed at the woman. However, Zabuza was stunned as a myriad of serpents were unleashed from her sleeves and bared their fangs at him. Creating some more clones, Zabuza substituted himself with one of them and watched as the serpent bit at their necks and thighs. The original Zabuza swung his blade and ended the serpents lives in the process. Using his momentum the swordsman struck Anko with the flat end of the blade and launched her at high speeds. With Kakashi behind her the man was sent along for the ride back to shore.

Zabuza made to move towards the old man but was stunned as two more Genin appeared beside the other three. From their appearance Zabuza guessed one of them was a Hyuga if the eyes were to go by. The other he couldn't tell but knew it was a kunoichi. However, it was then that Zabuza's problems began. Just as they joined them did a twofold barrier erect themselves around the group of Genin, ninken, and the old man. The first was a dome of lapis coloured energy while the other was a circular wall of red-hot flames.

"Barrier ninjutsu!" the man was snarling at the moment. He doubted the barriers were strong enough to stop him but had an inkling it was meant to buy themselves time. Barrier ninjutsu were only as strong as the user, and these were mere Genin. The flames surrounding them could easily be doused as well. His arsenal of Suiton techniques would make sure of it.

" **Kagekoku** (Shadow Strike)!" Naruto announced as he swiftly brought down his uchigatana on the man's exposed back. However, his victory was short lived when the boy's target turned out to be a mere water doppelganger. Naruto had no time to do anything before the real Zabuza rose up from behind and grabbed hold.

"Not bad, kid, you got balls. But you're a hundred years too early to be messing with one of the Seven Swordsmen," the man released a chuckled and then placed his weapon at the boy's throat. The man had sensed Naruto from a mile away and had decided to use a different strategy when reinforcements showed up. With the young swordsman subdued, Zabuza looked at the two Jonin in front of him, more so the woman in this case.

"Arms where I can see em, Snake Bitch!" Zabuza ordered Anko. The woman scowling at the name but obliged to the demand, "Gotta say, I didn't expect to see the Snake Mistress of Konoha. To think you of all people would take a bunch of brats as pupils. Funny how stuff like that turns out," he chuckled.

"Yeah, real freakin hilarious," Anko deadpanned.

"But play time's over. As much as I'd like to continue fighting I got important business to take care of. So tell your kiddies to drop the barrier, hand over the old man and the kid goes free. Try anything funny and you'll see first hand why "decapitating" is a part of Kubikiribōchō's name," the man proved his point by bringing the blade closer to Naruto's neck.

Though frightened, Tazuna looked ready to step in. The man knew these were ninja but the thought of a child dying for him didn't sit right with him. However, Tazuna was stopped in his tracks by Anko before he could surrender himself, "Sorry, but I can't do that. The gaki knew what he was getting into when he became a ninja."

Though momentarily stunned, as he wasn't expecting something like this from a Konoha shinobi, Zabuzza smirked nonetheless, "Too bad to hear it. Sorry, kid, but looks like you're gonna lose your head. Business is business," he grinned before looking at Anko. "Any last words for the dearly departed?"

"Just one - MIDORI!" Anko suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs.

Just as soon as the word left her mouth did the captive Naruto disappear into a wisp of smoke, " _What! A clone!_ "

That was the least of his problems as an enormous, hissing, and angry Midori burst forth from the ground below the missing nin. Zabuza barely had time to react as the giant reptile made to swallow him or rip him to shreds with its razor sharp and dagger filled maw. Zabuza swung his giant sword hoping to hit a weak point but Midori's reflexes allowed her to dodge quickly. Though her snout was nicked in the process, a summon creature's hide was much stronger than a regular serpent. Though if he used his full might Midori knew the man could pierce her tough skin with only slight difficulties given the properties of the blade.

"Play nice with your new chew toy," Anko laughed as Zabuzza snarled behind his bandaged face. Behind Anko, Zabuza watched as the barrier dropped and man scowled as saw the original sword wielding Genin. " _Damn shit must have_ _hidden himself with a Henge!_ " was the conclusion he came up with.

As the Genin flipped him the bird, the man made to move before Midori lunged at him. Zabuza's plans were put on hold and he was forced to dodge from the deadly serpent's strikes. Even then the man didn't escape unharmed as he was nicked by one of the creature's fangs. The man realized he had been played like a chump. At the moment there were only two options available for him: Fight and get killed or flee and fight another day. With the added protection of another team, plus a large summon, Zabuza knew his chances of completing the mission were very low. " _For now anyway,_ " while his mastery over the **Kirigakure no Justu** would mask his chakra signature his scent and body heat weren't.

" _Fuck,_ " Zabuza cursed and used a **Kiri** **Shunshin** (Mist Body Flicker) to escape the area. As he appeared at a location far away the man scowled and kept on running until he knew he was at a safe distance. The man never liked retreating from a fight but he knew Mei would kill him if he died. After finding a way to bring him back to life of course. Strong as he was the man knew that Mei was a hell of a lot stronger than he was despite not being a swordsman.

Zabuza disliked working for guys like Gato but business was business. If he had to kill someone then so be it. The Resistance of Kiri desperately needed the funds for their goal and Zabuza was a part of it. Being from the generation of swordsmen that many considered to be the strongest generation, the man had arrogantly thought himself capable of leading a small group to overthrow Yagura before the man brought Kiri to ruin.

Yagura had faced the group by himself and utterly crushed them with ease. The coup's defeat had been an eye opener and Zabuza took it as a lesson. Strong and fearsome as he was the man realized there would always be someone much stronger than him. Zabuza had never faced a jinchuriki before but the man knew that having a Biju sealed within oneself granted them a large amount of chakra and power most didn't possess. Even after hearing stories about such battles the man hadn't thought much of it. Believing them to be exaggerations from weaklings and poor excuses of ninja. All that soon changed.

After facing off against someone who not only had that kind of power but also had total control over it made him realise just how immense the power gap between him and Yagura was. Even after so long and various missions he took from others and fighting for the Resistance the man knew his strength still wasn't enough to face Yagura head on. The only person who had a chance was Mei herself. Even then the man knew she would need some help doing it.

"Zabuza-sama!" the man didn't bother to turn his head, having sensed his ward's presence, a mile away. "Zabuza-sama, what do we do now?"

"We lay low for now, Haku," loathed as he wanted to admit it but at the moment they were outmatched and outgunned. "Where's Meizu and Gozu?"

"At the hideout. They're tending to their injuries and making sure that Gato doesn't start snooping around while we're gone," the dragon masked ninja said. According to the two brothers Hatake Kakashi had "roughen" them up enough so when he bound them to a tree they wouldn't have the strength to escape.

Had Haku not tailed them to oversee the proceedings they'd be in the hands of Konoha Anbu. Haku liked Gozu and Meizu but the ninja sometimes wondered if those two were missing a few brain cells. If they weren't shinobi or had minimum to no encounter with ninja their stunt would have been somewhat justifiable. But this was Hatake Kakashi of all people. Haku had never met the ninja but had heard rumours and stories of those who survived encounters with him. The man was easily one of the most well-known and recognizable ninja in the Elemental Countries. Certainly, the Demon Brothers loved picking a fight but for them to think they'd have a chance against **Sharingan no Kakashi** was mindboggling. It was dumb stunts like that made Haku wonder what exactly did those two actually contribute to all of this. If anything they were loyal, and worked very well together, but that was pretty much it, "It shouldn't take them more than a few days before they are back to full strength, Zabuza-sama."

"Good. We'll wait till nightfall before heading back," Zabuza wasn't going to risk the hideout's location. The man would have to eliminate his scent before they headed back. Having worked with the Hunter-Nin Squad when he was a part of Kiri the man knew of several ways to do so. He was beating himself up for not doing so now as it might have gone differently. Though as snakes could see via heat signatures, something his technique couldn't hide, and with a Hyuga on their side it was easier said than done. As he began to formulate plans, Zabuza's body began to spasm and he buckled under his own weight. The man fell off the branch of the tree and would have hit the ground with a resounding thud had Haku no caught him.

"Zabuza-sama, what's wrong!?" a frantic Haku asked. By now Zabuza's body began to shake and shiver and his breathing was beginning to become rapid. Working quickly, Haku gave the man a look over before the cause of the problem was found. On the man's arm was a cut. Said wound had a purple and putrid look along with small bubbles of yellowish pus like liquid. The odour that it was giving off was foul and Haku instantly knew what the cause was.

"Poison," Haku deduced that it came from the large serpent. The nick Haku had seen was most likely the cause. " _To think such a small amount would do all this,_ " the ninja knew it had to be very powerful for such a small amount to cause all this. Taking out a set of tools, Haku went to work as quickly and as carefully as possible. Getting a needle, Haku began by injecting the man with some antibodies to slow the poison down. Already the man's shake went down some but Haku knew they weren't out of the woods yet. The next thing that needed to be done was getting Zabuza's heartbeat down as low as possible.

Taking out two senbon needles, Haku then accurately placed them on the side of Zabuza's neck. Within seconds Zabuza's body went limp as a fish. Though Haku wished to avoid putting him in a death like state it was the only way to help impede the poison. Poisons were known to spread throughout the body at a faster rate the higher one's heart rate was. This method would allow the ninja time to come up with a cure. Though Haku had experience in concocting antidotes for various poisonous creatures, coming up with one for a summon wasn't. This wasn't going to be easy and would take all the skill Haku had to come up with an antidote.

While Haku was knowledgeable on a large amount of herbs and knew a bit on medicine the ninja couldn't be classified as a medic. Did the ninja have the reserves and chakra control required, yes. The young ninja had the intelligence also to do well in the field. The only thing that was lacking was knowledge and know-how. Though part of the Resistance both Zabuza and the feminine looking ninja only ever met with messengers that Terumi Mei sent. As such, Haku's medical skills were mostly self-taught.

Never once did the ninja have the opportunity to learn medical ninjutsu from someone else. As they were always on the move and doing a job, Haku didn't exactly have a chance to learn some of the more complex techniques. Every time Haku needed to heal either the Demon Brothers or Zabuza it was done the old fashion way. This event was going to put all those skills to the test.

* * *

 **(Sometime Later)**

"Father!" a woman, easily in her early thirties, shouted at as the group of ten neared a house near the riverside. Tazuna eagerly greeted his daughter with a hug before introducing her to his escort.

"Tsunami, these are the super ninja that helped me reach Nami! Everyone, this is my daughter, Tsunami!" he introduced.

" _Seriously, what's with this guy and the word 'super'?_ " Ino wondered if the man didn't really have an extended vocabulary.

"Thank you, all of you," Tsunami bowed but her look turned into one of confusion as she eyed the group. "There's so many of you. I thought we only had enough for a C-Rank mission?"

"You did but Hokage-sama sent us as backup," Anko spoke up.

"Speaking of which, why were you and your team sent, Anko?" Kakashi asked. He wasn't ungrateful but the man had hoped for more than a rookie Jonin and a team of Genin. If anything having more Genin meant even more worry.

"With the Chunin Exams coming up and all Konoha is stretched thin at the moment. Hokage-sama had no choice but to send us and we weren;t exactly in a position to say no," the woman informed him before a sheepish look crossed her face, "Not to be rude but you mind if we take this someplace a little warmer. My legs are starting to go numb."

Ino herself silently agreed with her team leader. As part of her seduction lessons Ino knew that showing more skin helped enhance ones approach. The only problem was that it also didn't offer much protection against the elements such as cold weather. Plus with the water dives they had taken earlier it didn't help.

"Of course," Tsunami ushered them inside her house and one by one did they enter her humble abode, "I'm afraid we have limited sleeping arrangements. We have two guest rooms that can be shared. Though it may end up being a little snug in the process. Some of you will have to sleep on the couch or floor I'm afraid," she apologized. Had it only been one team it wouldn't have been bad. Tsunami also wondered what they were going to do for food as well.

"Meh, it's no big deal," Anko waved the woman's worry off. "Ninja are meant to endure this kind of stuff. This is nothing compared to where we usually have to sleep. Just ask Kakashi, he used to be in the Anbu."

"Anbu?" Tsunami was unfamiliar with the term.

"Basically the elite of the elite ninja of a ninja village. They do stuff even reputed and strong ninja just can't handle and Hatake here was a captain at one point," the woman elaborated.

"Oh," it was still weird but the explanation made sense.

"Speaking of which, you've gotten sloppy, Hatake," Anko noted the tired man's form.

"Mah, I'll be fine," the man smiled behind his facemask but Anko wasn't fooled. Kakashi was more experienced than her and he kept a straight face but the paleness in his face along with the beads of sweat told her otherwise.

"Hinata, Byakugan on Kakashi," the woman ordered her student. The young kunoichi complied with her teachers command and was unnerved by what she saw.

"Kakashi-sensei, your chakra reserves are nearly empty. You're suffering from Mild Chakra Exhaustion," her statement caused Anko to curse. Kakashi wasn't Naruto so this wasn't a simple case of him sleeping it off and getting better after a single night. Chakra exhaustion came in three stages: Minor, Mild, and Severe. Minor cases usually took two to three days to get over. Mild cases were four to six days of recovering, sometimes extra as it wasn't good for ones health. Severe cases could take over a week or so before they were ready for action. Even then it took a person a few extra days before they could even move properly.

"Seriously, I'm fine-" the man couldn't finish his sentence as he fell to one knee. Anko instantly appeared beside him and swung his arm over her shoulder. "You're dead tired, Hatake. You're lucky we got there when we did. Hinata, you're with me. Old man, where are the spare rooms!?" Anko barked out at Tazuna. The bridge builder was momentarily stunned by the shout before he directed all three up the stairs. The two teams had to wait for a solid five minutes before Anko made her way back down.

"Is Kakashi-sensei going to be okay?" a worried Sakura asked.

"He'll be fine, Hinata's looking after him. A bit of bed rest, some occasional healing, and taking it easy and he'll be right as rain in five days or so," she reassured the pinkette. "Kinda sad though really. A few years ago, when he was in the Anbu, I doubt this sorta thing would have even fazed him. Hatake's gotten out of shape ever since he left."

"Is he really that strong?" Sasuke asked, moreso out of curiosity. The Uchiha's opinion of the man wasn't all that great considering he barely taught them anything. But the way the man fought against Zabuza made him realize that he was more than he originally assessed.

"The guy made Chunin at age six, Jounin at age twelve, and then at thirteen he was inducted into the Anbu. A few of years later he was promoted to Anbu Captain and his repertoire of techniques was only outmatched by the Sandaime Hokage himself. There's only other person I know that has that kind of performance record if not greater."

"Who's that?" Naruto asked.

"Uchiha Itachi. Sasuke's older brother and easily one of the best ninja Konoha had before he stabbed Konoha in the back," Anko said not noticing the dark look that crossed Sasuke's face as she said it.

"Stabbed in the back?" Naruto wondered what she was getting at before it dawned on him, "Oh."

"Yeah, oh," Anko agreed. "Anyway, the point is that it's sad that someone like Kakashi let their skills go to waste. Rumour has it that he's easily a candidate for Fifth Hokage," all the Genin, including Sasuke, Sakura, and Kiba were stunned.

"Are we still talking about our sensei?" Sakura hesitantly asked.

"Uh, unless there's another Hatake Kakashi with an implanted Sharingan in his eye socket then, yeah, I'm pretty sure," Anko didn't like where this was going.

"Seriously, that lazy ass? Mister 'I got lost on the road of life'? That guy?" an incredulous Kiba asked. "I call bullshit!"

"Arf!" Akamaru agreed with his partner and while Kiba's teammates were less vocal both couldn't help but agree with the feral looking boy.

As she gauged their reaction, Anko hesitantly asked, "Part of me is probably gonna regret asking but what has he taught you guys?"

As Hinata's hands glowed a light green color, the Hyuga watched as the paleness from Kakashi's face begin to recede little by little.

"HE WHAT!" Anko's thunderous voice rocked the house and Hinata watched in fascination and worry as Kakashi's face began to pale even further. "I'LL KILL HIM!"

"Well, I'm feeling better, goodbye!" Kakashi quickly said, proceeded to jump through the window and then made a mad dash for the woods. Not out the window, through the window.

"PUSSY! TAKE YOUR BEATING LIKE A MAN!" It wasn't a moment later that Hinata spotted her teacher chasing after the man, a string of curses and kunai being thrown at him as she gave chase. The Hyuga watched as trees fell to the ground and a series of lights light up the wood as a result of explosions. As the forest began to turn into a warzone, Hinata slowly drew the curtains and left the room.

* * *

 **(Ino's Current Equipment)**

 **Taoyameno no Koromo** (Robe of the Sylph/Graceful Young Woman) **Rare Quality**

 **Armour**

 **Durability 60/60**

 **A beautiful but lightly armoured garb that is reminiscent of a revealing kimono. Due to its elastic properties the armour allows for great manoeuvrability and doesn't impede one's ability to use taijutsu. Stories about the robe state that a mythical creature of the winds too quick for the eye to see made it. Other stories say a young and beautiful woman gifted in the art of weaving and fuinjutsu who wished to escape lustful men made it. Either way, the robe allows the wearer a great deal of speed as if the wind itself was aiding them.**

 **Requirements: Wearer must be Female**

 **Bonus Stats: +30 Defense, +40 DEX, +25% increase in Moving Speed and Evasion in and outside of combat, +25% increase in Effectiveness in Seduction and Infiltration Skills**

* * *

 **Dakatsu no Kamu** (Dakatsu's Bite) **Rare Quality**

 **Armour/Fist Weapon**

 **Durability 75/75**

 **At first glance it is a seemingly unassuming gauntlet with no extraordinary features or abilities other than its decent protection. However, it takes after its namesake for a reason as the clawed weapon allows for exceptional and painful grappling. Additionally, hidden in the gauntlets are two pair of blades that can suddenly pop out and strike out at a foe. The action is sudden and leaves the opponent with little to no time to react. The blades are not the only things to worry about as they release a corrosive poison that eats away at armor and flesh alike.**

 **Attack Power: 37-51**

 **Requirements: Advanced Academy Taijutsu Mastery**

 **Bonus Stats: +5 STR, 15% increase in Effectiveness towards Taijutsu, +20 Defense, Releases Corrosive Poison**

* * *

 **Konoha Forehead Protector - Common Quality**

 **Head or Neck Armour**

 **Durability 30/30**

 **A common forehead protector used by ninja. Made of simple but durable cloth and metal this forehead proctor offers a decent amount of protection. Has the village of Konoha's symbol etched into it.**

 **Bonus Stats: +15 Defence, +100 additional REP per successful mission with Konoha (must be loyal)**

* * *

 **(Hinata's Current Equipment)**

 **Konoha Forehead Protector - Common Quality**

 **Head or Neck Armour**

 **Durability 30/30**

 **A common forehead protector used by ninja. Made of simple but durable cloth and metal this forehead proctor offers a decent amount of protection. Has the village of Konoha's symbol etched into it.**

 **Bonus Stats: +15 Defence, +100 additional REP per successful mission with Konoha (must be loyal)**

* * *

 **Arumiko** **no Nenju** (Rosary of the Wandering Miko) **Epic Quality**

 **Neck Accessory**

 **Durability 50/50**

 **At first glance one would simply think it to be nothing more than a simple looking necklace consisting of prayer beads and white magatama. To many it would be seen as worthless and nothing more than cheap jewellery worn by shrine priests and priestesses. This couldn't be far from the truth as it offers a good deal of perks such as enhancing the effects of medical ninjutsu, resistance to poisons, enhancing chakra control, erect ninjutsu barriers and the ability to erase one's presence. How this item came to be no one knows but going by its name it can be assumed a priestess used it. However, one most take care not to push it beyond its capabilities or it will shatter and truly become worthless**

 **Requirements: Wearer must be Female**

 **Bonus Stats: +5 DEF, +25% increase in Effectiveness towards Medical Ninjutsu, +25% Resistance towards Poisons, +25% increase in Effectiveness towards Chakra Control**

 **Special Abilities:**

 **Allows the ability to erect barriers. (CP amount and Chakra Control influence the strength and duration of the barrier)**

 **Allows one the ability to become undetectable for three minutes. (Must be hidden or out of view for ability to work)**

* * *

 **Custom Made Hyuga Armor – Uncommon Quality**

 **Armour**

 **Durability 75/75**

 **A loose fitting, lavender and cream hooded-jacket with lavender cuffs over mesh armour with navy blue pants and black, low-heeled sandals. For more added protection, a thin and custom-made, but very durable, dark leather muneate** (breastplate) **has been added to the design. The breastplate being similar to those used by kyudo practitioners and made from the dinosaur hides from the Primordial Dungeon.**

 **Requirements: Wearer must be Female, Can only be worn by Hyuga Hinata or Hyuga Hanabi**

 **Bonus Stats: +50 DEF, +15% increase Effectiveness and Power towards Taijutsu, +15% increase Effectiveness towards Blocking**

 **Special Abilities:**

 **Raikō Kenka** (Lightning Flash Blade Creation) **seals allows for quick and unexpected unsealing of weapons sealed within them.**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Job: The Gamer**

 **Rank: Genin (10% EXP, Loot Increase)**

 **Level: 25 Next Level: 2270.5/28,900**

 **Specialization: Ninjutsu Specialist**

 **HP: 5400**

 **CP: 8225**

 **STR: 107**

 **VIT: 173**

 **DEX: 153**

 **INT: 251**

 **WIS: 120**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 115**

 **Perk:**

 **?:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, ?

 **Special Perks:**

 **Gamer:** Allows you to live your life like a video game. You still don't know much about it though, but who cares life is good.

 **Kyuubi Jinchuriki:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP and Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, - 40% EXP towards Reputation gain with those with Neutral and lower, ?

 **Titles:**

 **Journeyman Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu Swordsman:** +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Kenjutsu, Stealth **,** Feints and Movement Speed, +4 DEX, +2 STR per Lv

 **Grand Master Zombie Slayer:** 100% increase attack and defense against Undead, +50 towards stats when facing Undead, +50% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards Reputation gain with those with Neutral and lower, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Apprentice Ninjutsu Specialist:** +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Ninjutsu Skills, +15% Power Increase towards Ninjutsu Skills, -15% CP usage towards Ninjutsu Skills

 **Description:** Much of Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently a Genin with aspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. Due to great improvement and proper tutelage under Anko Mitarashi and Gekko Hayate, Naruto went from Dead Last to being a high middle rank student. Recently he has discovered that he is the jinchuriki of the Kyubi no Yoko, and the reason why he has the animosity of many.

 **Money** : 2,244,196 Ryo ~ (224,419.60$)

 **Attribute Points: 4**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Job: Ninken (Ninja Dog)**

 **Level: 22 Next Level: 2987/24,000**

 **Reputation: Friendly (2975/3000)**

 **Specialization: N/A**

 **Ninken Category: Hybrid "Guard and Tracking"**

 **HP: (1625/1625)**

 **CP: (1075/1075)**

 **STR: 41**

 **VIT: 58 (7) = 65**

 **DEX: 73**

 **INT: 43**

 **WIS: 30**

 **LUK: 27**

 **DEF: 70**

 **Perks:**

 **Keen-Senses:** +20% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Ninja Dog:** Human Lifespan, Ability to Mould Chakra, Potential to speak human language

 **Komainu Lineage (Guard Dog):** +3 VIT, +2 STR per Lv, +20% Effectiveness & EXP towards Biting Techniques, -5% Effectiveness and EXP towards Training and Reputation, Ability to use Katon (Unlocked)

 **Akita Lineage (Tracking Dog):** +4 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness and EXP towards Tracking Skill, +20% Effectiveness and EXP towards Stealth, +20% towards Movement Speed during and outside combat

 **Special Perks:**

 **Gamer's Combat Pet:** A special perk that allows any of your combat pets the ability **Gamer's Body** , though they only earn a small amount of Attribute Points per level that you can allocate. However, this can be lost if you decide you don't want a certain pet or if your pet abandons you or dies.

 **Titles:**

 **Grand Master Zombie Slayer:** 100% increase attack and defense against Undead, +50 towards stats when facing Undead, +50% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Description:** A two year old ninja dog with Komainu blood in his veins. While possessing great potential like his cousin Akamaru, Hottomaru like most Komainu pups require a good amount of discipline and can be difficult to train but are fiercely loyal and protective of their owners and partners.

 **Attribute Points: 3**

 **Money:** 0

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Yamanaka Ino**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Genin (10% EXP, Loot Increase)**

 **Level: 20 Next Level: 18417/23,200**

 **Reputation: Friendly** (1170/3000)

 **Specialization: T &I Specialist**

 **HP: 975**

 **CP: 1025**

 **STR: 39 (5) 44**

 **VIT: 39**

 **DEX: 71 (40) = 111**

 **INT: 41**

 **WIS: 104**

 **LUK: 25**

 **DEF: 10 (55) = 65**

 **Perks:**

 **Enhanced Cognition:** +1 WIS per Lv, +15% EXP and Effectiveness to Detection, +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Chakra Control Skills, +15% EXP and Effectiveness towards Skills learned through books and scrolls

 **Natural Grace:** +3 DEX per Lv, +15% Effectiveness towards Movement Speed in and out of combat, +15% Effectiveness towards Evasion,

 **Special Perk:**

 **Yamanaka Lineage (Heiress):** +3 WIS per Lv, +25% Effectiveness to all Yamanaka Clan Skills, +25% Reputation gain with Konoha and Konoha Allies, +25% EXP and Effectiveness Bartering with Konoha and Allies, 15% EXP increase from Konoha Missions

 **Titles:**

 **Journeyman Botanist:** 20% EXP & Effectiveness towards Botany Skill, +20% EXP & Effectiveness towards Herbalism Skill, +20% EXP & Effectiveness towards Poison Skills

 **Apprentice Mind Walker:** +2 WIS, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Torture and Interrogation Skill, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Information Gathering Skill, +15% towards Chakra Control Skill, +15% Resistance towards Torture and Interrogation

 **Konoha's Ms. Beauty:** +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Seduction Skill, +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Bartering Skill, +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Infiltration Skill

 **Description: Though not as intelligent as her rival, Sakura, Ino is still one of the top students at the academy. Ino is talented in her clan's teachings but due to her attitude and infatuation with Sasuke she isn't as far or as proficient as she should be. Ino is notorious for her gossip and fashion sense, very little happens in the academy that she doesn't know about. Since her team in Team Eight, Ino has slowly begun to improve her skills and worth as a kunoichi. Though she still has a road ahead of her, Ino's continuous progress under Anko's tutelage will slowly but sure help get her there.**

 **Stats: 0**

 **Money:** 295,460 Ryo (29,546$)

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Mitarashi Anko**

 **Job: Ninja**

 **Rank: Jonin**

 **Level: 40 Next Level: 27753/86700**

 **Reputation Level: Honoured** (1387/6000)

 **Specialization: Torture and Interrogation, Toxicology**

 **HP: ?**

 **CP: ?**

 **STR: ?**

 **VIT: ?**

 **DEX: ?**

 **INT: ?**

 **WIS: ?**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: ?**

 **Special Perks:**

 **(Sealed) Cursed Seal of Heaven:** +20% additional Stats Increase, +20% Effectiveness and Power towards all Skills, -25% Mental Resistance, Capable of causing random erratic and emotional outburst, Capable of corrupting the individual with repetitive use

 **Perks:**

 **Gifted Ninja:** +2 stats per level, +15% Effectiveness towards all skills, +15% EXP towards skills, +15% Power increase towards skills, +15% EXP towards Missions

 **Serpentine Grace:** +4 DEX per Lv, +25% Effectiveness towards Movement Speed in and out of combat, +25% Effectiveness towards Evasion and Counters

 **Titles:**

 **T & I Veteran: **+30% EXP and Effectiveness towards "T&I" skills, +30% EXP and Effectiveness towards "Killing Intent" skills, EXP and Effectiveness towards Seduction Skills

 **Toxicologist Veteran:** +30% EXP, Power and Effectiveness towards to Poisons skill, +75% to Poison Resistance

 **Tracking Veteran:** +30% Effectiveness and EXP towards "Tracking" skill, +30% Damage & Defense increase towards stealth based attacks

 **Snake Whore of Konoha:** -25% Reputation gain with Konoha inhabitants with those with Neutral and lower, -25% Teamwork effectiveness with Konoha ninja with those with Neutral and lower

 **Status Effects:**

 **Sealed Powers:** -30% Effectiveness and EXP towards skills, -30% Power towards skills, -30% towards Stats, Powers can be returned via use of **Curse Seal** or successfully removing it

 **Description: A former student of the infamous rogue ninja, Orochimaru. Hailed as a gifted ninja at a very young age, Anko later went on to become one of Konoha's top torture and interrogation specialists and an accomplished tracker, accomplishing tasks where others, other than the Inuzuka, failed. Due to her tutelage Anko is one of Konoha's best toxicologist, having used and created many unique poisons in the field and during interrogations. Her love of dango is quite well known and feared, some say surpassing Uzumaki Naruto's love for ramen.**

 **Attribute Points:** 3

 **Money:** 985,624 Ryo (98,562.40 $)

* * *

 **Hey guys. Here is the next chapter. Much earlier than anticipated. I just couldn't stop writing. Here you go, enjoy, and give me tons of reviews (90-100) and I'll update by next Friday maybe even earlier! Also please review if you understand the reference I was using in this story. Laters! Also don't forget that my michma13 Deviantart has the links for a better look at enemies, loot, bosses, and weapons/armour. They are in a journal called Gamer Links.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Operation Liberation Begins!**

* * *

(The Next Morning)

When Anko had finally managed to get a hold of Kakashi, the man lasting longer than they thought he would given his state, Anko had let the man have it. What the words were exactly the Genin didn't know but guessed it hadn't been pleasant. The amount of slapping she gave him hadn't been pleasant either. When the man was taken back to bed, despite her wanting to leave his tired ass in the woods, Anko had set up the sleeping arrangements. As this was officially Team Seven's mission they would be the ones sleeping in the house. Team Eight had their own mission coinciding with theirs and would be roughing it outside in sleeping bags and a tent. Ino would have complained as they had a comfortable house available to sleep in but her time with Anko made her know better. Anko hated when someone began to bitch and moan over something she would consider trivial.

"So, how'd everyone sleep?" a perky Anko asked the two teams. The woman had half expected moans or groans from her team considering this was only their second time sleeping outdoors. Anko was used to it, and didn't notice the discomfort anymore. Her Genin weren't but guessed the **Gamer's** ability took away such discomfort.

" _So much for making fun,"_ Anko slumped a bit but perked right back up.

"Was fine, but Ino snores," Naruto informed the group. The blond took a piece of toast as well as what little rice there was to munch on.

"I do not!" the kunoichi glared at her fellow blond.

"We slept in the same tent, Ino, and I know snoring when I hear it," Naruto countered.

"Arf!" Hottomaru agreed with his partner. The young ninken had been in the same tent and had not cared for the blonde's snoring either.

"I don't snore!" the girl stated more forcefully, "And you're one to talk! You speak in your sleep!"

"What?"

"You heard me! For an entire hour all I could hear was you mumbling about ramen and your ramen girls!" by now Ino was flushed red. Whether it was because of how embarrassing it had been or because she was angry no one knew.

"Wait, you two slept in the same tent?!" Kiba asked. A look of utter disbelief on his face while his kunoichi teammate was just as shocked. Though he looked indifferent, even Sasuke was mildly surprised by the revelation.

"Is that normal?" Tazuna asked the leader of Team Seven. As this was his first time actually dealing with ninja the man didn't how they worked exactly. What was odd for him could be common for someone in their line of work.

"For Genin not so much. But it's not uncommon either. It's basically to get them used to this kind of thing when they get older. Ninja sometimes have to get physically close to a target at times and this helps ease them into it," Kakashi explained to the client.

"Oh, that reminds me. You're sleeping with Pale Eyes tonight, Gaki," Anko smirked at the blond. The reactions varied from each individual. Hinata, Sakura, and Tsunami blushed, the Hyuga nearing supernova, while Kiba and Tazuna, and Naruto to a small extent, had a perverted look on their faces. The only ones who looked indifferent were Sasuke and Kakashi, though the latter was more focused on his book than anything. Even then a small smirk was hidden behind the book cover.

"So what do we do now?" Kiba asked. "We brought the old man to Nami that's mission accomplished … right?"

"Wrong," Anko and Kakashi answered simultaneously. "Your mission is to stay here and bodyguard Tazuna until the bridge is complete. I'm no expert but from what I saw it's gonna take a while. Plus Zabuza's still out there and if the info the Bingo Book has on him is accurate then I doubt you'll be seeing the last of him."

Tazuna paled considerably as he heard this. The team had barely managed to escape from the man with their lives. Had it not been for Team Seven's timely arrival then Tazuna hated to think what could have happened.

"It's a good thing we have another team then, huh?" Tazuna chuckled, "In the end this whole thing worked out better."

WHAM!

The bridge builder had no time to react as he felt the fist impact with his face and send him sprawling across the room. Before he could even right himself the man was lifted into the air by an angry kunoichi, "Let's get one thing straight, old man, you lied to Konoha and as a result you nearly got a team killed in the process. Technically speaking the contract between Nami and Konoha is null and void because of that stunt. Believe it or not we actually have the right to hull your ass back and have you imprisoned. Or did you not know that when you signed the paperwork!" she snarled at the paling man. A worried Tsunami looked ready to step in and defend her father but was stopped by Kakashi. Even while weakened the man's look was enough to stop her from interfering.

Truthfully Tazuna hadn't really gone over the contract or the fine print of it all. All the man had cared about was getting a team to Nami and help them as quickly as possible. Though he hadn't expected getting a bunch of kids the man took what he could get. The sooner they got back and the sooner the bridge was completed the better.

"You don't understand-" the elderly man began but a look from Anko told him to wisely keep his mouth shut.

"No, I understand, old man," Anko snarled and was about to continue but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"That's enough, Anko. I think he gets it," the man gave her a look. Though still angry, both at Kakashi and Tazuna, Anko unceremoniously dropped the bridge builder. Sighing at the act, but making no move to pick him up, Kakashi give Tazuna a pointed look, "Anko's right, though, Tazuna. Despite the fact we decided to continue with this mission you still lied to us and put my Genin in danger. We got lucky that none of them were killed when Zabuza showed up. Chances are it probably would have happened had Team Eight not showed up. Had I even the slightest idea that Zabuza was going to be involved there's no way I would have continued. A friend of mine once said those who those break the rules are trash, but those who betray others are worst than trash. In this case, you'd be considered worse than trash, Tazuna," Kakashi told the elderly man.

The members of Team Seven stayed silent as this was occurring. What Kakashi had said was a paraphrased version of the original. But Tazuna didn't need to know that, "Anyway, I know why you did it but don't assume this ended up for the better."

"W… What do you mean?" Tazuna asked.

"We'll start with number one. This is clearly an A-Rank mission and ninja don't work for charity. A C-Rank pay barely covers what it's gonna cost you in the end. You're gonna have to come up with what you owe use when it's over," the look she gave him left no room to argue. "Though seeing as how Gato's basically taken everything you get we're willing to work something out," she added and Tazuna was grateful.

"Next is that we have six Genin here and any one of them can be killed or taken hostage before they even realize it. That's Zabuza's speciality and the bastard can easily use it as leverage against us. The only upside is that Midori managed to poison him. Her poison is nasty as hell. He didn't get a full dose but chances of him dying are still great. But on the off chance he survives it'll take him a while to recover. At most we have six to eight days before he's back on his feet.

"Why didn't the snake finish him off? Could have saved us the trouble," Kiba grumbled before he was bonked on the head, "Ow!"

"Because, Mutt, she can't stay in that form for too long and it takes a lot out of her. There's also the fact that we didn't know who else was out there so we needed her close by. We heard about the Demon Brothers and I doubt they're the only ones working for him," Anko explained and the declaration made Sakura, Tsunami and Tazuna pale while Ino and Hinata were worried. Though none of them showed it, all three male Genin were just as concerned too.

"Well, we don't have to worry about Gozu and Meizu at least," Kakashi's informed the group. Anko however was the only one who knew that it was meant to put them at ease. With the information she told the veteran ninja suspected that perhaps it wasn't the case. However, Kakashi thought it was best to lie than for them to worry for the time being. "In the meantime we're going to have to train you all so you're prepared."

"Speak for yourself, Hatake. My team's already been on six C-Rank missions dealing with chakra mutations so they have combat experience," she informed the now surprised man and stunned Team Seven.

" _They've been on six C-Rank missions already?_ " Sasuke fumed at the knowledge. His team had only been on one, this one, and technically he knew it was now a B or A-Rank mission. It would test his skills but but Team Eight's as well. At this right he wasn't going to be anywhere near to achieving his goals.

"Bullshit!" Kiba shouted, "No way you guys have done six C-Rank missions already!" he would have believed one or two but six was too much. "What makes you guys more special?"

"Well, the fact we actually accomplished the amount of D-Rank missions needed to qualify for a C-Rank," Ino began, "Plus our first C-Rank kinda turned into a B-Rank one and Hokage-sama was impressed with how we handled it. Ever since he would give us the odd C-Rank mission that required dealing with chakra mutations."

"Chakra mutations?" Tsunami asked as she heard the name once more.

"Creatures that have been changed in some way or another," surprisingly it was Kiba who answered, "What? My clan's had a history dealing with em since the Warring States," he elaborated.

From her relationship with Kiba's mother Anko knew he spoke truthfully on the matter. "That aside, we qualified and did a good job on our first C-Rank. So we got the green light to do more. How many missions have you guys done?"

Three of the members of Team Seven looked abashed, while the other merely frowned and looked away. The other was engrossed in his book, "Well? How many?"

"…" Sakura mumbled.

"Speak up, Billboard-Brow," Ino told her rival. The pinkette glaring at the blonde before she answered, "Fifteen."

"…. Are you fucking kidding me," Anko's faced shadowed over and her Genin knew to take cover. "Fifteen missions is all you guys took in two and a half months?!" by now the woman's temper was showing and Sakura looked frightened. Kiba and Akamaru were both hiding behind a chair while Sasuke felt like doing the same thing.

"Hatake a word, now!" the woman wasn't asking and she proceeded to drag the man up the stairs and entered a room and closed the door with a resounding slam.

"… You guys are probably not gonna see him again," Naruto informed them. "Anko hates slacking," all four members of the veteran kunoichi's team shuddered lightly.

* * *

 **(Sometime Later)**

"Okay, this seems like a good a spot as any," Anko halted the group. Surrounding them were many large trees that were needed for what she had planned. The area wasn't too far away from Tazuna's home or the bridge either on the off chance they needed to rush to his aid. As a precaution the woman had left Hinata, Ino, and Hottomaru with the man. "Alright, seeing as how Kakashi's out of commission for the time being I guess I'll be in charge of you brats," the look she gave them made the members of Team Seven worry. Kiba and Akamaru more so due to their firsthand experience with the eccentric Jounin. "And seeing as how you weren't taught all that much we've got no choice but to begin with the basics. To start, I'm gonna be having you three climb trees."

"Climb trees," Sakura deadpanned, " ** _How the hell is climbing trees gonna help us, Sha!_** **"**

"Yes, climb trees … using only your feet," she finished and proceeded to demonstrate the act by casually walking up a large erect trunk of wood. The woman did this for less than a minute before she finally stopped near the very top. "And that's how it's done. You gotta concentrate just the right amount of chakra to the soles of your feet to make yourself stick. Too much and you're blown off, too little and you'll fall on your ass. Use these to mark your progress," the woman concluded by throwing each of them a kunai. "Hop to it! I wanna see you at least make it twenty feet before the day's over."

One by one the Genin of Team Seven grabbed a kunai and picked their respected tree. Naruto watched how Kiba, ever eager, proceeded by running towards his target. Naruto had half expected the boy to make it one step before he was pushed off but was slightly surprised that the Inuzuka managed to make it a get seven steps before he was forced down. Naruto guessed that since he came from a ninja clan he would be more knowledgeable on such things. Sasuke himself had made a decent eight steps before he was forced off his own tree.

"This is easy!" a voice from high up called out and all three males looked up to see Sakura at the outmost top branch of the tree. Kiba groaned, as he knew she'd hold this over him and Sakura merely frowned.

Anko however merely assessed the situation. Earlier she had Naruto use his **Observe** on the group and had not been impressed. Akamaru was at level 12, Sakura's level was a mere 14, Kiba's was 17 and Sasuke was level 20. Sasuke's level was decent in her mind but even then it had only been a recent level up. For each of them they had a particular attribute that was higher than the rest.

For Kiba it was his DEX and to a certain extent his STR as well. Which made sense given his clan's lineage. For Sasuke it was his DEX, WIS, and INT. Given the Uchiha clan's history for being placed second in the top ten strongest clans in the world and the way he pushed himself it was no surprise really.

For Sakura her most outstanding attribute was her WIS, which was more or less equal to Naruto's at the moment. If she were Sasuke's level Anko knew her WIS would be much greater than Hinata's by at least 40 points. Plus her titles and perks granted her a great boost in chakra control. Unfortunately, it was all she had going for her at the moment.

"Don't celebrate just yet, Pinky," Sakura scowled at the nickname but otherwise stayed silent. "So you think just because you got up there first means you're better than those two?" she asked.

"Uh… Ah," Sakura was not expecting the question and stumbled on her words.

"Alright, then. That tree's more or less thirty to forty feet high. I want you to run up and down that thing fifty times in both directions," she smirked.

"Uh, alright," Sakura honestly thought it would have been a lot worse really given how Ino spoke about her the other day. " _This will be easy_ ," the kunoichi thought and proceeded to do exactly what Anko told her while her teammates got back to work.

But about less than thirty minutes later, and only being on her twenty ninth climb up, an exhausted Sakura was now drenched in sweat. The girl wasn't even halfway up the tree and every time she moved her legs she felt them burn and ache in protest. The girl only managed to make it up another seven feet before she was forced to rest on a nearby branch. Kiba and Sasuke however were still going strong as they continued to make progress little by little.

"So you get it now?" a voice behind her startled her from the unexpectedness of it all. "Your chakra control is very impressive for someone your age. You'd make a damn good medic or genjutsu mistress," Sakura blushed at the praise.

"But you suck at everything else," the comment immediately made the blush disappear. "Chakra control will only get you so far. What you did was barely half a kilometer. You're not much help to your team if you don't have any stamina, speed or any defining skill to back you up. Truthfully, you're lucky not to be dead at the moment, Sakura. As your are, you're nothing more than dead weight," Anko's chastising was harsh, but truthful. The frown she had forced a near tear stricken Sakura to look away. The look she received was almost like those she had sometimes received from her parents. It was a look of pure, unadulterated, utter disappointment.

"Catch your breath and then get back to work. Every time you fail to accomplish the task you're to start over from square one. By the end of the week I'd better see it done," was the woman's simple but sharp order. Sakura wanted to protest but could only nod. However, by then Anko was long gone and far away from the girl.

Sakura had potential with her chakra control but at the moment Anko was disgusted. The girl had no right to call herself a kunoichi. Part of it was Kakashi's fault as well but Sakura could have done her own form of training. Her conversation with the man revealed why he was late, sorta. Ninja needed to be independent and learn how to teach themselves rather than rely solely on a master. Something Kakashi was trying to teach them but none were getting it. If Sakura didn't show any decent improvement before Anko's team left the woman would have no choice but to confront the Hokage about this. The most likely scenario would be having her replaced with another ninja from the reserves. Should that happen Sakura would be temporarily stripped of her Genin rank until she shaped up. A girl like her was more of a liability than an asset for her team. At best she'd be killed or crippled. At worst others would kidnap her and use her for their own self-pleasure. It happened to others in the past, both dedicated and lacking kunoichi. It was the same thing she told her two kunoichi if they didn't shape up or take it seriously. Kunoichi had it much worst than male ninja merely because they were born with different genders.

"This is bullshit," she heard Kiba curse. The hooded Genin was covered in dirt and Anko knew he had fallen. Judging from the marks he was making progress but not as good compared to Sasuke. Anko knew young Inuzuka males weren't known for their patience or level headedness, especially when they viewed others as competition, "Hey! How the hell's this gonna help us anyway?"

" _Oh, uber dumbass move Kiba,_ " though the Inuzuka knew better than to mouth off at Anko, the boy's frustration had unfortunately gotten the best of him. And Naruto had had no doubt was he was about to pay for it.

"First off," the woman suddenly appeared before him and slammed the Inuzuka into a tree. The action forcing the air from his lungs, making his teammates look towards him, and causing Akamaru to be torn between wanting to help his partner and cower before the obviously superior ninja, "Don't think for what second you have the right to talk to me that way, _Genin_ ," she harshly hissed, making Kiba feel fear. Soon a foreign and highly unpleasant feeling was washing over him as she held him. It was as if he was currently facing the Shinigami itself and Kiba had nowhere to run or hide. The feeling soon left just as quickly and Kiba realized that it had been the same feeling he felt when they were confronted with Zabuza. Apparently he wasn't the only one affect as the Inuzuka noticed that Sasuke was shaking slightly. The fact he held his kunai a lot more tightly, his hands now white, was even more proof.

"Secondly, this exercise is to help you better control your chakra. Do that and you'll not only need to use less chakra in your techniques but you'll struggle less when drawing out your chakra for techniques as well," she explained before looking to Sasuke, "You got anything to ask?"

The Uchiha looked like he wanted to say something but merely shook his head, "Spill it, Uchiha, I don't have all day."

Not wanting to anger the woman like his idiot teammate, Sasuke complied, "How come the Dobe's not doing this?"

"Oi!" Naruto took offence to the insult. "I ain't the Dead Last anymore, Teme!" Naruto scowled.

"You'll always be a dobe in my books, Dobe," Sasuke smirked at the blond ninja.

As Naruto took a step forward, Anko interviewed, "The Dobe as you call him already mastered an even more complicated form of chakra control along with the rest of my team," Anko said, causing Sasuke's smirk to leave his face. "Besides, making fun of him is my job."

"Love you too, sensei. Love you to," Naruto merely chalked it up as another reason to prank her ass hard. The boy had been formulating one for months since the geisha one and slowly things were coming together. But the prank formulating in his head was the last thing on his mind when the woman whirled around, hunched over, and whispered something into Naruto's ear. When she righted herself the blond's face began to form into a broad grin that threatened to split his head in two. " _Ok, maybe I'll bring it down a notch or two … Maybe."_

The blond proceeded towards a nearby tree and decided to show his stuff, " **Ninpo:** **Kongoriki** (Ninja Art: Adamantine Strength)," he whispered and felt a surge of powerful strength course through him. When he was in position the boy then proceeded to take out his kanabo, a weapon that Sasuke scoffed at because of its barbaric nature. Naruto merely ignored him before he readied himself. The kanabo being positioned behind his head while an aura of blue covering it as a result of the **Chakra Flow** being used.

" **Saigasho** (Crushing Fang Impact)!" Naruto declared and then unleashed his technique with all his might.

What happened would forever being ingrained in the minds of Team Seven's Genin and ninken. The moment the kanabo struck home did the wood crack and buckle under the incredible pressure of the blow. Nami no Kuni's trees, while decent in size, were nothing compared to the might oaks that surrounded Konoha's. Had he tried this stunt on such trees it would not have worked on the first, second, or even third go. Even then however the act of bringing them down was slightly challenging for an experienced arborist or carpenter seeking wood for their craft.

Naruto managed to fell his with a single blow of his weapon. The large tree groaned and swayed before it finally came crashing down with a thunderous thud. The fall briefly shook the earth and sent nearby wildlife running. To a seasoned ninja like Anko the act was somewhat mildly impressive. Being able to take down trees wasn't that grand a feat in her mind. Being able to do it with pure muscle strength and in one blow while you were still only twelve was another matter all together.

The blond ninja let off a whistle as he watched his handy work and then turned to the members of Team Seven. Every single one of them was floored. Sakura looked as if she was about to fall out of the tree by how shocked she was while Kiba's jaw was on the ground. Sasuke was visibly shaken and looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't really get himself to complete a coherent sentence, "Still think he's a dobe now, Uchiha?" Anko asked but didn't get an answer. "And FYI this is nothing compared to what others can do," the information only served to further shock the Genin of Team Seven.

"Now back to work, maggots!" she barked out and all three of them continued on with their exercise as best they could. But one thought simultaneously echoed in each of their minds, " _How the hell did he do that?_ " It also made them wonder just how strong the other members of Team Eight were. Were they just as strong or did they know something else. Either way they had a lot of catching up to do.

With her work done, Anko left Team Seven under the watchful gaze of Midori as she and Naruto headed towards the bridge. The woman and her team had their own mission to accomplish after all. Helping Team Seven was part of it but Anko wasn't here to babysit another team. Get them on track and get their asses in gear was one thing, replacing Kakashi as a teacher was another. She had no intention of doing that, but with their current situation the woman knew she'd have no choice for the time being.

* * *

(Elsewhere)

Hidden within the many woods of Nami no Kuni, four ninja shared a large room that had been given by their employer. Scattered throughout the room were various scrolls, herbs and other personal items that belonged to the four ninja. However, some of them had seen better days.

Gozu and Meizu, better known as the Demon Brothers in the Bingo Books, had various bandages wrapped around them. To say the beating Kakashi had given was unpleasant wouldn't do it justice. Even now the act of moving still made them wince. Both Chunin level nuke nins' injuries paled in comparison to their leader's.

Zabuza, the Demon of the Bloody Mist, was resting soundly on a bed. By his side was his ward and ever-faithful companion and tool, Haku. Both Meizu and Gozu weren't the smartest of ninja; if they were then they would not have sustained their current injuries. But both ninja knew that despite otherwise claiming not to feel much for his ward, viewing the gifted ninja of the once famed Yuki Clan as merely a stepping-stone, the man did in fact care. However, life had not been kind to Zabuza and expressing anything other than negative emotions wasn't easy for the man.

The Demon didn't take betrayal too kindly either. Having it occurred to him too many times in his life, Zabuza rarely gave his trust to others or opened up to others. Seeing Haku as merely a tool that would never stab him in the back than a person with questionable loyalties was most likely the man's way of coping.

"Well, isn't this a fine mess," a voice called out and all conscious ninja scowled as a short professional looking man with dark spectacle walked into the room. By his right and left sides were two swordsmen. One was shirtless and sporting an eyepatch while the other was wearing a tuque and had markings under his eyes.

"I send you to deal with one simple _old_ bridge builder and you have the nerve to come back here empty handed. Some Demon," the man chuckled while Meizu, Gozu and Haku scowled. Though far from fully healed Gozu and Meizu were still plenty strong enough to deal with Gato and his guards with minor difficulties. Haku they knew could end all three before they had time to even blink.

As their movements became transparently hostile, Gozu and Meizu prepared themselves to make a pre-emptive strike but a look from Haku told them to stand down. Though reluctant, as the two were itching to cut them man and his bodyguards down, they obliged to the silent command.

As Gato moved to grab at their leader, Haku's hand suddenly grasped the man's own and squeezed. The feminine ninja put enough pressure to cause pain, and mostly likely severe bruising and discomfort, but not enough to brake or crack the bones. Seeing their employer in trouble, Zori and Waraji moved to defend him but found themselves defenceless as their own swords were poised at their throats. Behind them the Demon Brothers looked ready to skewer the two Ronin with their wicked clawed gauntlets.

" _Monsters,"_ the two Ronin were caught off guard by the sheer speed of all three. Beads of sweat began to form on all of their heads as they eyed the individuals that could easily end their lives with little to no effort.

"I wouldn't get any ideas, Gato," said man's eyes landed on Zabuza's form. The man's previously closed eyes were now wide-awake and Gato gulped as he eyed the ninja. "It could end being hazardous to your health."

The man proved his point as a kunai suddenly appeared beneath Gato's throat. It took the businessman two full seconds as his mind processed what just happened. By then Gato was sweating even more and was also visibly shaking as he realized an inescapable truth.

The man before him was weak, but even then he still had enough strength to kill him before it was too late. Gato was an arrogant man and not very well versed when it came to ninja but the man was intelligent. One didn't become a billionaire of an international company and have various connections and dealing in the underworld without it.

"Now that I've got your attention; let's talk about our deal," the bedridden man's tone left no room for argument.

Gato scowled but knew how to play the game. It was the reason why his actions in Nami managed to elude the eyes and ears of the rest of the world. But things were starting to change against his favour. For now he had to play it smart. One false move and no amount of money in the world would save him. Begrudgingly the man asked, "What do you want?"

Zabuza smirked and it only served to further anger the small man, "This mission just got more complicated. We were asked to deal with only one team. Now we have two to deal with and one of them can summon a giant fucking snake," he explained and the man noticed Gato's face began to pale.

While Gato wasn't well versed in the ninja world he often heard about stories about them from his contacts in the underworld. Gato didn't know what a summon was exactly but the words giant snake rang a bell in his mind and gave the man pause. Gato had heard tales of a powerful, and twisted ninja that was infamously known for his use of serpents. In the underworld, information was power. But any further information he wished to know about the individual, no matter the amount of money, had been all for not.

This meant two possible things. The contacts didn't know enough on the individual to tell him, which was highly doubtful. Or this person was so powerful and feared that no amount of greasing ones palms would get them to talk. The exact words by one of his best had been, "I'd rather die by your hands than by his." Needless to say Gato had wisely backed off. It was obvious the man's was very powerful if he could instil such a large amount of fear into the hearts of others.

"So here's the deal; you're gonna double the amount you owe us. It's either that or we walk and talk," Zabuza smirked and Gato was torn between fear and anger. Fear for his operations reaching others, thus ruining his empire, and anger for being blackmailed.

"Fine, double it is," he agreed much to his bodyguards' shock. "But no more failures! I want this done and over with quickly. The last thing I need is word getting out," he said and proceeded to leave the room.

"Gato-sama, are you sure about this? Zabuza and the Demon Brothers failed once against a single team, with two teams," Zori began but was stopped by the man's raised hand.

"I know," Gato growled in frustration. The only reason he agreed to double Zabuza's pay was because Gato knew he was at the man's mercy. If he said no the man would have either killed him or gone blabbing to others about his dealings. There were plenty of individuals more powerful than Gato who would be very interested in using the information for their benefit. Individuals Gato wished to keep his distance from.

"So what now then?" it was now Waraji's turn to ask. Much like Gato, Waraji was arrogant but even he had to begrudgingly acknowledge Zabuza's superiority. Like many from a samurai upbringing the man cared little for ninja and thought many of their swordsmen to be poor excuses; especially the Seven Swordsmen of Kiri. The man attributed this as he viewed their fighting having little to do with actual swordsmanship. Some of the so-called "swords" they possessed weren't even swords.

"For now we play smart," was all Gato said. The man couldn't afford another failure and would have to get in contact with others to see how to deal with this mess and Zabuza himself. This meant that Gato would have to look into finding someone even more powerful then the swordsman himself. Which wasn't going to be easy, or cheap.

While Gato was figuring out how to deal with this, Zabuza's group were having their own little discussion. "You should have let us deal with it, Zabuza-sama," Haku said.

"I actually thought you should have killed the fat pig," Gozu added while Meizu snorted.

"Pig, yeah right. I've seen pigs smaller than that ass. He's more like a small cow," the man retorted.

"Shut up," their leader stopped the debate from escalating any further. The last thing he needed was hearing another one of the Demon Brothers stupid ramblings over something as equally stupid. "How long before I'm up and running?"

"A week at best, Zabuza-sama. The poison was from a summon after all and it took all my medical knowledge to heal you. It was touch and go and you nearly died as a result," the ninja admitted then added a smile, "It's a good thing you didn't. Otherwise I'd be stuck telling Mei-sama."

The other three ninja shivered at the thought of having to deal with an angry Mei. It was no secret the attractive woman had a slight and flirtatious attraction with the man but even then he wasn't exempted from her wrath. Zabuza had seen it firsthand when Gozu and Meizu made the mistake of asking why she was single. The action had started out as the cheesiest pickup lines and ended with the Demon Brothers going into intensive care.

"You've got a sick sense of humour, Haku," the man deadpanned.

Haku merely continued to smile, "I learned from the best, Zabuza-sama."

" _Smart ass,_ " the man realized he might have taught his protégé a bit too much and too well.

"Not to beat around the bush but how are we gonna deal with this? Twice the pay is good and all but we're dealing with six Genin, two ninken, and two Jonin. One of em can fucking summon too," Gozu pointed out the elephant in the room. "How the hell are we gonna deal with that?"

Zabuza had to admit it was one of Gozu's more intelligent questions. The man had a point, " _How the hell are we gonna deal with this?_ " Kidnapping was an option but at the moment neither he nor the Demon Brothers were in any shape to do it and Haku was ironically a pacifist. The ninja still fought but the fighting style was basically by paralyzing others and bringing them down with minimum harm as possible. Zabuza knew that the Jounin would most likely keep a closer watch on the Genin too.

They did have one slight advantage on their side. The opposing group knew about Zabuza, Gozu and Meizu, but not about Haku.

* * *

 **(Sometime Later)**

While Team Seven was practicing under the watchful gaze of Midori, Anko and her team were strategizing on the next step to take. "Alright, the more we know about this place, the better," the logic of it all went without saying really. "However, Hatake's team is not really ready for this sort of thing just yet so I'm stuck babysitting em for the next little while. Midori's good but if Zabuza's got other goons working for him they won't last long."

"So what do we do?" Naruto asked.

"For the moment you guys will take turns guarding the old man. One of you will stay here while the others are out patrolling Nami for any clue where Gato's hiding out. From what I got from Tazuna the little shit's been spotted in several locations but he's never in the same place twice. We need to find out where he's hiding and where he plans to go next. Only two of you will do this until Kiba, Sasuke or Sakura finishes what I assigned for them. Afterwards, I want all three of you to start looking around," Anko said.

"Arf!"

"Sorry, poochy, but you're sticking this one out. I doubt a healthy looking mutt's gonna be able to blend in with this place," she pointed out and Hottomaru whined. Naruto found it ironic really. Hottomaru knew how to transform himself into a more powerful and adult like version of himself but couldn't transform into anything else really. Then again he probably could if he put the time and effort into it.

"Which brings up another point, you three will have to be in disguise. Other than Zabuza and his posse, Gato's hired thugs are nothing more than common mercenaries. Large in number but other than that they won't be able to distinguish a ninja using the Henge. But in that ensemble you guys will stick out like cheap hookers in a temple," the three ninja were not expecting such a crude description or being compared in such a way, "However, Nami's pretty big and with only you three I doubt this will go quickly. Which is why your Shadow Clones are gonna come in handy, Gaki."

"Huh? How's that?"

"Hello, did you forget that **Shadow Clones** send any information they have back to you once they pop? The whole purpose of the Shadow Clone was meant for infiltration and information gathering while the original stays safe. The only reason why it's not really used is because it takes up too much chakra and forms too many clones. It basically leaves the user too drained of chakra and too little chakra are in the clones to work properly. Some can do it but the amount are too few so the method was deemed inefficient and risky to use," Anko explained.

"Wait, so I can learn anything the Shadow Clones learn!" Naruto was wide eyed at the prospect.

"Any information they learn, you learn, yes. But it's not as simple as it sounds. One Shadow Clone popping with a bit of info being sent to you is nothing. A shit ton of them popping and sending that amount of info can be hazardous to your health. I heard stories about others doing this and how the brain couldn't handle the influx of information and the results weren't pretty. This isn't like learning stuff from scrolls or book skills where your ability come into play, gaki."

"She's right, Naruto. I heard dad talk about these kinds of cases. The brain basically had its own version of a stroke or heart attack only a lot worse. At best you'll suffer from a massive migraine, black out, temporary memory loss, go into a minor coma, or you die immediately," Ino said.

"Dying is one of the best ones? What's worst than that?" Naruto was a little unnerved.

"At worst you become a vegetable - brain dead, permanent memory loss, enter a coma you can't wake up from, or can't process new memories and relive each day over and over again without even realizing it," Ino was being dead serious at the moment.

When it came to matters of the mind and illnesses of the mind such as this the young Yamanaka had been taught not to joke around. No Yamanaka joked around about something this serious. If Naruto were a Yamanaka it would be slightly different as a Yamanaka had the ability to categorize a great deal of information influx in their brain like an archive. Young Yamanaka like Ino couldn't do it nearly as well compared to the adults of the clan. Even then learning too much could still have very bad side effects. Some cases could be healed to an extent but medics needed to very skilled and quick. Hinata was getting better but she lacked the experience and wasn't anywhere close to that level. Ino also doubted Nami had anyone with that kind of skill as well.

Naruto for his part gulped, "Okay, that's definitely a lot worse."

"Normally it wouldn't be a problem if your clones were gathering information on a single subject, say you're all reading theoretical information from the same book. The mind can handle that," with his Gamer ability it was sorta redundant on skill books but with theory books it was another matter, "But in this case you're gonna be gathering a bunch of different information that'll put too much strain on that brain of yours. I doubt it'll be the case but just to be on the safe side I only want you to make a small amount of clones."

As the Shadow Clone Technique equally split up his chakra, Naruto made a rough calculation. The blond determined that twelve clones, plus himself, would result in each of them having 632.69 or so CP. While it was more than enough to deal with common thugs, it would most likely be another story if they came across another ninja. In the end, Naruto created seven clones of himself which allowed him and the doppelgängers to each have 1028.125 CP instead. They'd cover less ground as a result but they'd have a better fighting chance.

"Okay, now that that's settled, Ino I want you and Naruto to see what you can find. Don't be afraid to use some of those skills I taught ya," she smirked and Naruto was slightly interested. Though the interest was gone just as quick as Ino developed a very Anko like grin of her own, " _Don't wanna know, just gonna pretend I didn't see it_."

With their duties assigned, Ino and Naruto set out to do what they were assigned. When they neared a series of buildings that spanned for quite some distance and spotted various individuals walking about they went to work. For the next half hour the two familiarized themselves with overall appearance of the people. As Nami wasn't exactly prosperous at the moment clothing ranged from decent looking to ragged, worn and ripped.

Sticking out wasn't the intent, they needed to blend in with the crowd. Naruto took on the appearance of a young man in his late teens with short messy brown hair, his clothing being similar to what Tazuna wore. Naruto's clones took on various appearances ranging from children to older individuals before they set off. Ino, to his surprised, took on the guise of someone a person would normally see in a red light district. Though somewhat uncomfortable, remembering the training she had with Anko helped. Both Ino and Naruto then proceeded to go there separate ways, and agreed to meet back at the designated spot in a few hours.

However, the task of finding out information was easier said than done. Well over two hours had passed since he and Ino parted and he still had nothing to show for it. Ino was currently in the red light district so he left it to her, but Naruto had no idea where to begin finding the information he wanted, " _Ah, fuck,_ " Naruto wondered where exactly he should go from here at this point. Were it Konoha he'd have better luck, as he knew virtually almost all the ins and outs. Here not so much. At the moment he realized his wandering somehow lead him to a more secluded part of Nami. The disguised blond doubted he'd find anything here and decided to head out.

"Hey there, handsome."

"Huh?" Naruto wanted how spoke and became rigid as soon as he spotted where it came from. The voice came a young woman, easily in her twenties, a voluptuous figure and wore a dress that left little to the imagination. Compared to some of the other women he saw she looked a hell of a lot better than most. Her skin was unblemished, she wore a purple shade of lipstick and the end of her dark brown hair was in a braid.

"You're new here aren't you?" the woman sauntered over. "I've been here quite a while, seen all kinds of faces. Yours is different, you're not from around her," she said.

"Huh," Naruto honestly had no idea what to do at the moment. Give him someone to fight and he'd kick their asses a hundred ways to Sunday. Ask him to flirt or deal with something like this and one would have been luck getting a rock to float on water. "Who're you?" he asked and mentally kicked himself, " _Smooth, Naruto. Smooth._ "

"Asagao," she introduced and somehow Naruto doubted it was her real. "So what's a good looking guy like you doing in a dump like Nami?"

"I can ask you the same thing," was his rebuttal.

"Witty, I like that in a man," she said and grazed her hand across his shoulder. The act making him shudder for whatever reason, "But if you must know I'm saving up till I can finally leave this place. Girls like me don't last too long, especially with Gato's men around. We're basically seen as entertainment for his men and himself, and that's if we're lucky. Some actually get sold off and shipped far way. On the off chance his rule here ends I doubt they'll ever be seen again," here Naruto noticed her eyes subtlety shifting at various angles. As if she was scouting the area for potential danger and ready to make a dash for it if forced to. The boy realized she was being very cautious at the moment.

"You're awfully trusting. How do you know I'm not one of Gato's men?" he asked and saw her smirk.

"Please, I can spot one of Gato's men from a mile away even if they try and downplay their Neanderthal like tendencies. You don't last as long as I do without being smart and observant. You don't have the same look they do. But it still begs the question, why are you here?" Asagao asked.

Naruto knew he had no choice but to bullshit as best he could. He was good at it, sorta, but this woman despite not being a ninja was good. He'd have to go all out, "Honestly, I can't remember exactly. All I remember is a waking up on the shore and with pieces of wood around me. Maybe I'm a fisherman? I honestly can't remember," he said. As he knew little about Nami the old "I'm suffering from amnesia" story was the best way to go at it.

"Hmm," Asagao hummed and looked at him inquisitively. "Sounds like you're one of those brave or stupid enough to try and make a run for the mainland," here she sighed. "Gato's got these waters constantly patrolled and it's near impossible to get out of here without luck and careful planning on your side. I heard a couple of days ago a boat tried to make a break for it. Apparently, Gato's men got to them before they got halfway across. No one survived apparently, guess you lucked out… sorta," she said.

"Maybe, can't exactly deny or confirm it," Naruto said and pretended to wince as if a sudden pain struck his head. Luckily he had given his Henge a fresh scar on his head so it would help lend some validity to the story. "What's there to do around here?"

"You mean besides being smart, and keeping your head down? Nothing much really," she said. "Nami used to be prosperous because we have skilled craftsmen you won't found anywhere else. Tons of different species of fish live and migrate here so we made a living off that too but Gato's got an ironclad grip on this place and he limits who's allowed to do what. Put one foot out of line and you'll be wishing for death. Gato's sucking this place dry for all it's worth till nothing's left and the people are too damn scared to fight back after what he did to Kaiza."

"Kaiza?" Naruto was now actually getting some potentially useful information.

"Former local hero of Nami," she began before a startled look entered her eyes as though she suddenly heard something, "Sorry, handsome, gotta go. Hope to see you again."

Naruto cursed, as he didn't get what he needed but knew she had a good reason for bolting. The woman had very good hearing, Naruto only knew about them the moment his **Detection Skill** came into play when they entered his range. "Hey, you!" an uncouth call was heard.

"Me?" Naruto asked, playing the ignorant fool, to nearest of the three men.

"No one else is here, retard," one of them laughed before approaching him, "Who was that you were talking to?"

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb, kid. Word has it there's a beautiful and totally fuckable hotty that's been spotted around here from time to time. So unless you were talking to yourself, I'm wagering you were speaking with her," he grinned and Naruto forced himself not to gag. The man's breath reeked of poor dental hygiene and strong alcohol.

"Seriously, I don't know what you're talking about. I was just taking a walk," apparently it was the wrong thing to say to these men as their faces contorted into angry snarls. Whether or not it was the alcohol that was influencing their judgment or merely because they were quick to anger mattered little now.

"So it's gonna be like that eh," the men went for their weapons and that was all Naruto needed to see before he made his move. The fight, if one could call it that, was over before they had time to draw their weapons. Naruto had proceeded by grabbing the two furthest men and slammed their heads into the middle one. The amount of force in the move had their eyes popping out comically before sweet unconsciousness took a hold of them. The fact that they were only level nine with low attributes, basically low academy level strong, also helped in making it one sided. But it also left him with a current dilemma.

"What the hell should I do with these guys?" bringing them back to Anko was an option but it meant having to carry them there. His Fuinjutsu was good but he couldn't seal live people into them yet. Plus Anko was looking after Team Seven at the moment. Creating some shadow clones and then disguising themselves fellow thugs and were another option but there'd be a chance of encountering others and being found out. Blowing his cover as a result, which defeated the whole purpose, "Hey, wait a minute. **Kage Bunshin** (Shadow Clone Technique)," creating another clone of himself Naruto then grinned, "If any one of you are near the red light district, get Ino and tell here to come here!" he finished and proceeded to dispel the clone once it served its purpose. Naruto hoped the trick worked before he began to bind and gag the unconscious thugs. Luckily there was a ton of nearby discarded junk and garbage that could be used to hide the bodies on the off chance someone walked by.

Fifteen minutes later Naruto felt a rush of information flow through his head and realised one of his clones had managed to find and inform Ino, "Wish he found out more useful information though," apparently the clone was having as much luck as he was at the moment. Hopefully it wasn't a recurring theme.

Naruto waited an additional fifteen minutes, passing the time by knocking out the three stooges once they began rousing from their beauty sleep, before Ino finally showed up, "Took your sweet time," Naruto said.

"Can't exactly run and draw attention to myself," the Yamanka didn't mention that many had asked to see her along the way and she needed to shake em off somehow. "So where are these clowns?"

The disguised ninja moved his head behind him and Ino immediately understood. Once free from the garbage, Ino got to work on their minds and tried to locate anything useful. The process took her five to nine minutes per thug before she was done. By the end the girl looked like she wanted to end their lives. "Anything?"

All he got was a disappointed shake and Naruto cursed, "Nothing, too low in the payroll. The only useful thing I found out was that Gato apparently informs certain thugs of his plans but these assholes don't know who they are. The only two who possibly know are his personal bodyguards but from what I saw they rarely leave his side."

"Shit," all this time and they basically had nothing to show for it. "Did you find anything useful?"

"Nadda, the girls I'm with spend some nights with some of Gato's men but they don't know much. Managed to persuade some thugs when they asked for me but it was useless shit."

Upon seeing Naruto's worried look Ino chuckled, "Don't worry, they didn't touch me. They only think they did," she smirked and Naruto had to admit that what a Yamanaka could do to another's mind was frightening. Against weak minded individual it wasn't all that difficult for Ino. Especially with the training she received from Anko and her father. Against others of greater mental fortitude it would have taken someone as skilled and experienced as Inoichi to accomplish such a task.

"So what do we do with these guys?" Ino's was going to suggest having them killed for all the sick things she saw in their heads but refrained from it. If any of Gato's men started disappearing it would arose suspicion. "I'll alter their memories. Make it so they think they got plastered and knocked each other by accident. Keep an eye out. This will take a while and I'm vulnerable while doing this," as Ino got to work Naruto didn't fail to notice the bite in her voice as she said this.

Whatever it was she saw must have been really bad if Ino wanted them dead. Naruto never forgot his first kill accidental as it was, his **Gamer's Mind** helped him, but even then Naruto had come to terms with it.

So far neither Ino or Hinata had killed a human being. Hinata had passed her clan's test that was similar to the first half of the Rite, and Chakra mutations were one thing, but killing another human being was another story. Naruto didn't know if his **Gamer's Mind** ability extended towards them when teamed up but hoped they were prepared when it happened. Anko had been preparing them when it did happen but even then there was no guarantee how one would handle it. While Ino was wishing for their deaths now, she could be singing a different tune all together after the deed was done.

Sometime later after Ino was finished with her task, both got back to work to try and find anything else that would prove useful could. It was well into the afternoon before both ninja and kunoichi decided to call it a day. As he ordered the clones to dispel, Naruto felt a great flood of information.

"You're suppose to cancel them one at a time, Naruto," Ino chided and shook her head upon seeing his dumb grin. As he processed the new information, Naruto was even more disappointed. While only the first day, much of what they found proved to be a dead end. Oh, knowing things such as the how Nami was suffering from a short food supply among other things proved enlightening. Much of the other information in some way or another could be traced back to Gato as the main cause, but it served little in finding out where he was.

"Hey, Ino, you go on ahead. I'll catch up," Naruto informed his teammate. Ino wasn't even able to ask where he was going before he used the Shunshin to go who knows where.

" _Just be careful you idiot_ ," while he wasn't the same Dead Last Naruto from the academy, he was still Naruto. He was smarter but old habits died hard. Ino just hoped he didn't do anything to get himself in trouble.

It was nearing sun down when Ino finally arrived back at the home of Tazuna. Knocking in a series of sequences, to notify it was indeed her, the door opened and the blonde cocked an eye at the sight before her. Kiba as spread out on the couch, looking dead to the world, Sasuke himself was fairing better but Ino could tell he was exhausted. Sakura, and here Ino had to stop herself from laughing, was doing an impression of a mummy or one of the zombies from the dungeons. Hinata was back from her guard duty and the girl had a green glow surrounding her hands as she reduced the fatigue in Akamaru.

"So… how's everyone doing?" Ino asked Team Seven.

"…. ahhzzughehh," Sakura mumbled incoherently, the mere act appeared to take quite some effort it seemed.

"Translation, please," Ino looked to Kiba and Sasuke.

"I'm spitbaling here…" Kiba began before trying to catch his breath, "but I think she asked … how are you still sane? She's f- freaking nuts," he said and Sasuke couldn't help but agree with him.

"You get used to it… sorta," she mumbled the last part.

"Ah, quit your bitchin, Mutt. Pale Eyes and Blondie, still have a while to go stamina wise," Anko informed the exhausted Inuzuka.

"What about the do- Naruto," Sasuke caught himself as the woman gave the Uchiha a look.

"Oh, the Gaki's an stamina beast on super 'roids. He's gonna make women real happy when he gets older," she smirked as Tazuna sputtered on his sake.

" _Typical Anko-sensei_ ," Ino had seen the comment coming a mile away. "Hey, where's Hotto?" she asked upon noticing the lack of two ninken.

"One of the Gaki's clones came here a while ago to grab him and head out. Told the little shit he shouldn't be out there by himself with who knows who's in Gato's pockets, so I sent Midori to keep an eye out," Anko muttered and the she spoke made Team Seven's Genin flinch.

"That's Naruto-kun for you," Hinata commented and the girl received some incredulous looks from the Genin and her teacher. "D…Did I say something wrong?"

"Just that we weren't expecting that to come from you," Ino stated as a matter of fact. The Yamanaka heiress knew that Hinata was slowly but surely coming out of her shell. She was still timid but it wasn't as bad as when they first began.

"Hmph," Ino heard before she spotted a young boy heading up the stairs.

As it was the first time she saw the boy, Ino asked, "Who's that?" to Tazuna.

"That's Inari, my grandson," Ino noticed Tazuna had a tired look in his eye. "Sorry about him he's been like ever since … ever since Gato came to Nami," being trained by Anko the blonde kunoichi knew she was being given a half lie. However, what it was about also turned the mood sombre judging by the looks in Tazuna and Tsunami's faces. Ino wisely decided not to push.

"Dinner will be ready soon everyone," Tsunami announced the woman now sporting a mask of cheerfulness. "However, we're a bit short so we'll have to-"

Knock!

Knock, knock!

Knock, knock, knock, knock!

Knock!

"That's the Gaki," Anko stated the obvious as the knocking sequence was heard.

"Hard to believe he'd remember it," Kiba grumbled but winced as his body ached once more. The young heir knew that the old Naruto wouldn't have remembered it and knew that it would have been an imposter.

"I'll get it," being the gracious hostess, Tsunami made her way to the door, Ino having sat down beside Hinata. However, the woman was left stunned and let loose a very loud, "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" in the process.

The action made Tazuna stumbled out of his chair and onto the ground, his sake bottle rolling out of his hand and spilling its contents on the floor. Kiba and Sasuke took a battle stance, though it was shaky at best given their current weariness. Sakura too armed herself but the lack of feeling her legs prevented the girl from getting up properly and she needed to have on arm firmly placed on the sofa to keep her balance.

"What?! What the hell is it?" Kiba asked and prepared himself as best he could.

The answer to his question however merely walked in through the door. A large hairy beast the size of a horse entered the house and in its maw was dead boar of medium size. The site of the beast unnerved the Genin of Team Seven, while Tsunami and Tazuna looked frightful.

"Hmm?" Kakashi wondered what all the noise was about and as saw the reason for it as he came down the stair, "Oh, hello, Hotto," he greeted the large ninken.

"Hotto!?" the Genin of Team Seven were floored by the revelation.

"Oh, come one! Even his ninken's stronger than mine? What the fuck!" Kiba whined pathetically, an act that was mimicked by his own ninken. Ninja dogs that were given outside the clan tended to be much weaker as they could not learn their techniques anymore. Some they'd know instinctively but even then they weren't that strong. Apparently, being with the former Dead Last made Hottomaru an exception to the rule.

" _Seriously, this fucking blows,"_ while he could maybe come to terms with Naruto being stronger than him it was a matter of clan pride when a clanless ninken became stronger than his own. Kiba knew he and Akamaru had some serious catching up to do.

"BAARKK!" the enlarged ninken greeted, placed the boar down and then turned back into his miniature self, "Arf, arf!" the small ninken panted and nudged the pig towards Tsunami.

"Sorry about that," Naruto sheepish grinned, "My hands were full and Hotto sorta knocked me aside. Bad dog!" Naruto chastised his partner.

"Arf! Grrrr," the tiger stripped ninken growled.

"Don't you flare your nostrils at me you little shit," Naruto glared back before he entered. Over his left shoulder was a deer and in his right hands were a pair of hares. Looking at the group he announced, "Got dinner?"

Needless to say the group had plenty of food for the night thanks to his little escapade. And as they ate and filled their hungry stomachs, the group slowly forgot about their troubles and enjoyed each other's companies. While they still had a while to go before they accomplished their mission for now they were content and happy.

However, in the coming days, many would be in for rude awakenings. Ultimately, it be a deciding factor in their lives. Would they continue on as ninja? Or would they be forced to quit?

* * *

 **Here you go guys. Not much action in this chapter it was more so to go in depth about other things. Stories need development in other departments too you know. Also yes Naruto found out about the information transfer thing and no that does not mean he'll be learning the training method yet. All Anko knows is that it allows memories and knowledge to be transferred, she doesn't know about the whole training bit. If I introduced that too early it would make for a lousy story and lead to a trap where I may need to start over. Not gonna happen. Also to clarify, Gamer`s Mind help with Genjutsu and Psychological Trauma, that has nothing to do with learning too much in one go simultaneously to the point the brain can`t handle it. If it were very bad news it would be different, but in this case it`s just too much information for Naruto`s mind to comprehend. Learning via skill books, or scrolls is the exception.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this. The next chapter will have a lot more action and start to pick up. The Wave ARC will probably have three or four more chapters before it's over depending on the length. And they will be good chapters.**

 **Other than that give me tons of reviews, 80-90, like you guys did last time and i'll update by next Friday or sooner.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Are you Kidding Me!?**

(Four Days Later)

"Keep moving, Pinky!" Anko barked out and earned herself a groan of protest from Sakura. The girl's progress was slow but steady. Not as great as her two teammates as the girl didn't exactly have the years of endurance and muscle memory they possessed. It would take some time but if she pushed herself and kept it up she'd most likely get decent result by the time they left. Maybe not what Anko had wanted but the girl could still surprise her.

Many often said dedication and hard work would beat prodigious talent every time when performing a task. That was a load of bullshit in Anko's mind. Hard work and dedication played an important factor in getting stronger but didn't always mean you'd become stronger than a prodigy or stronger than others. The only times it did occur were when prodigies' got bored and stopped pushing themselves to their limit. That was one of the many problems when you were standing at the very zenith of the ninja hierarchy of power and skill. One gained the mentality that there were no more challenges or boundaries that could be crossed any longer. They no longer had anyone to challenge them, or push themselves further. They stopped training and let their otherwise impeccable skills become dull.

Thud!

"Owww!" a sweat Sakura nursed her soon to be bruised backside. Luckily the fall hadn't been too high but the ground was by no means soft.

"You know the drill," Anko earned another groan of protest as Sakura got back up and started from square one once again.

Anko sighed as she overlooked Team Seven's training. It was evident that little by little they were making some progress each day. Though said progress was slow compared to her team, "Then again, they don't have a teammate with an ability that speed ups the learning curve. But this is bullshit! I shouldn't be babysitting someone else's Genin," Anko was less than pleased with Hatake. The man had explained that he had been trying to teach them team exercises so they could work well together. The man stated, "what good is learning techniques when they were prone to accidently use them on each other?" Communication and trust was just as important as knowing jutsu for a ninja.

Anko had begrudgingly admitted the man had a decent point, "Still didn't exempt the lazy ass for not teaching em anything else," other than team exercises the man had made his team do basic drills such as jogs, taijutsu refinement and a few other things. Not branching off from there was where everything went to shit. Learning the tree climbing exercise should have been taught during the first few weeks in Anko's mind. Even learning a single D or C-Rank technique would have been somewhat acceptable in her books. The woman mentally put a large emphasis on somewhat. Anko mostly had them do the chakra control exercise and then decided to relieve her boredom by throwing kunai at them. Many would explain their reasons for such actions, but not Anko. Though it was mostly to increase their ability to dodge and up their speed. While Sasuke and Kiba were much faster and had better reflexes than Sakura even they weren't exempt from the cuts and scraps.

The T&I specialist was seriously wondering if Kakashi lived up to his reputation in the Bingo Books. It also made her wonder what changed in the man. Years ago she didn't hear the end of Yugao's bitching and moaning on how hard he pushed her and the new Anbu recruits to the point many had quit or transferred. Anko didn't know why Kakashi's ethic as a trainer and instructor turned to shit, but she didn't like it. Anko wondered if it was emotional baggage that he carried over from his own Genin team days. She was no psychologist like Inoichi but she was decent at understanding certain individuals, Naruto was an example for one.

Shinobi had different ways to cope, some better than others. Asuma took up smoking, Kurenai developed a cold persona, Kakashi read smut and took on his dead teammate's traits, and Gai trained till he dropped. Kurenai and Gai's methods were some of the better ones, though Gai sometimes took it too far. Despite his surreal stamina and endurance, more than once she heard how he had to be rushed to the hospital for treatment.

But regardless of this, Kakashi needed to get his ass in gear. Anko wasn't one to squeal, tattle or rat to authority like a schoolyard pussy, but he had lives depending on him.

"Just like I have I do with my brats," the woman hadn't had the chance to really train or teach her team anything new at the moment. They were better prepared than the others but Anko felt she needed to prepare them even more. Progress for her team was slow at the moment. Anko had to hand it to the corrupt son of a bitch; Gato was smart in covering his ass. Then again the man had lasted this long without others knowing. While Naruto, Ino, and Hinata found some bits and pieces here and there on the man, it wasn't enough.

"BARRK!"

"Huh?" Anko was mildly surprised when she saw Kiba's prone form in the large ninken's mouth. Beside Hottomaru was Akamaru and the small white furred pup could only look on helplessly. "What's going on?"

"BARK! BARK, GGGRRRR, BARRK!"

"… Yeah, I got none of that," Anko had a good relationship with Tsume but that didn't equate to her knowing how to speak dog. Some she understood but it wasn't that much.

" **He said that Kiba-san tried to follow Naruto-san and participate in the mission rather than do, and I quote, "Boring as hell chakra control shit", end quote,** " Midori translated. The snake summoner merely groaned, ordered the boy to be dropped, and then told Hotto go guard Tazuna on the bridge.

"What part of come back here after you're done helping Naruto don't you understand?" she snarled and Kiba merely looked away. The action didn't sit well with the woman and Kiba was promptly backhanded by the purple haired kunoichi.

Anko continued to glare at Kiba before commanding him to start his exercise. The kunoichi didn't have time for this crap and made a note to deal with his insubordination later. While her actions seemed harsh it was basically how the Inuzuka dealt with disobedient younglings. It helped them assert authority and showed them their place. It was a practice Anko had been taught by the boy's mother.

"Just for that stunt you can forget hunting for game again," Anko shouted and heard Kiba curse. But the woman didn't care. It was the boy's own fault for not listening really. Actions had consequences and Anko could not afford a Genin to endanger the whole team just because he was bored. She thought the problem fixed when she sent him with Naruto, but now knew better.

Due to a food shortage in Nami, Anko had ordered Naruto and Kiba to hunt game and use them as leverage. It sounded cruel given the situation of the country's people, but it was lesser evil if they were to get rid of Gato. Plus it was done to loosen some of the peoples' tongues and to gather more information. Nami was known for its natural resources, craftsmen, and fishermen. However, while hunting in the sea was one thing for them, hunting inland not so much.

Some could do it but they only did it for themselves and their families. It was one of the reasons how Gato managed to take over. The man had persuaded the people that his company and resources would assist Nami in becoming a much more profitable country. Being ignorant to his ways and hidden agenda the populace had fallen for it hook, line, and sinker. With the waters being monitored and few being allowed to fish many were forced to hunt in the woods with little success.

Naruto and Hottomaru were decent trackers, the latter more so due to natural instincts, so it was helping them gather more info. However, despite learning what was known as the **Tracking Skill** because he hunted game and followed Gato's men, Kiba was the better tracker. But better tracker or not the boy had much to learn it seemed, such as discipline. Kakashi wasn't lying when he told her his team had problems. Then again the man was used to training Anbu level and personality type individuals instead of Genin.

"Those guys better be having better luck than I am," she hoped and prayed her team found something soon. Despite how she acted off duty, Anko took missions seriously, with D-Rank being the obvious exception. But even then she wanted this crap fest to end soon. Mostly it was because of the potential danger. Anko wasn't arrogant - most of the time - and knew that the only reason why she got the upper hand on Zabuza was because he was caught off guard. The main reason Kakashi was so drained was because his overuse of the Sharingan and being caught in the **Suiro no Jutsu** (Water Prison Technique). According to Naruto's **Gamer** ability it allowed masters of the technique to drain a person's chakra and add it to their own.

In a straight fight she'd probably last five, maybe ten minutes against the Zabuza if she didn't include Midori. With Midori she'd have a greater chance but her large size made her an easier target and the sword he wielded was capable of cutting her. Despite the serpent's tough hide she wasn't impenetrable. A summon's large and intimidating size was just as much a weakness as it was a strength. Though even the smaller and less powerful ones had their uses. One of them she had used to deliver a message to Konoha and inform the Hokage. Though not as quick as Midori the serpent would most likely get there within a day or two depending on the situation. Though it was a long shot the woman hoped they'd get back up. Anko had no doubt that the mission could take a turn for the worst.

(Elsewhere)

"Thank you. By Kami-sama, thank you," a woman who was now nearing on the verge of tears expressed her gratitude to the young man before her. The meat from the boar would be enough to feed the stomachs of herself and her children for quite a few days. "I don't know how to repay you."

"I don't need money but information will do," he told her.

"Information?" it was evident by the look on her face that she was honestly not expecting that. "What kind of information?"

"Information on Gato," he elaborated and the woman froze somewhat. Naruto wasn't beating around the bush at the moment. Getting the info they needed was slow as hell. Unfortunately, many were very reluctant to share any information on Gato for fear of retaliation should it be lead back to whoever talked about him.

"I'm sorry but-"

"Please… anything you can tell me to help make this country better again," he said.

The woman merely chuckled mirthlessly. Tears that held back were now freely falling from her face, "You sound like my… like my husband did."

" _Ah, shit,_ " it didn't take a genius to realize her husband was obviously dead. "Look I'm sorry I'll just - "

"No it's fine…. You're one of the ninja helping Tazuna, right?" the question wasn't an accusation but Naruto prepared himself should he be forced to take drastic measure. Loathed, as he wanted to it.

"My husband was helping Tazuna build his bridge but Gato's men," here the tears threatened to pour once more before she willed herself to stop crying as best she could. "Nami's been my home all my life. I don't know if my family and I can make it anywhere else, so anything to help us get rid of Gato I'll help."

" _Final-fucking-ly!_ " Naruto mentally cheered as she went back inside.

Naruto had been getting nowhere in the last few days. Gato literally had the country's populace by the proverbial balls and no one was willing to talk about him. Ushering him a little closer, the woman grabbed his hand shook it and then shouted, "I don't have anything to spare! Leave!" and slammed the door on his face.

"… Son of a bitch!" Naruto shouted and noticed the action drew the attention of nearby pedestrians. "What the hell are you starring at!?"

The sudden shout made the onlookers walk away from him even faster, even more so when Naruto began to walk down the streets. Anger was evident on his disguised face. In Nami an angry individual was the last person someone wanted to mess around with. It more or less didn't end well.

For a good five minutes Naruto wandered around before he found himself in a more or less secluded area of Nami. Ducking into one of the alleyways, Naruto took out the piece of paper he was given. " _Gotta give her props, she's a damn good actress."_

 **Shinobi-san,**

 **Before Gato came to Nami my husband was a fisherman by trade. When he took over he was out of job and helped Tazuna as best he could.** **He and a few fishermen continue to secretly gather food from the ocean as best they could to support the workers. However, one day he simply disappeared and in these times it's never a good sign.**

Here Naruto noticed a few stains on the paper. The woman had been crying while she was writing this. Judging from what the letter implied, he'd bet his last ryo that Gato or one of his cronies had a hand in the husband's demise.

 **Ever since he arrived Gato's been limiting the amount of people allowed to fish in the ocean to support Nami. In the center of Nami there's a cave that goes deep underground to a large lake that connects several ocean currents and various fish and sea life. Every few times a year a massive amount of various species of fish gathers here for a month or so before returning to the ocean. Unfortunately, Gato has since then blown up the entrance to the cave and has it guarded by his men to prevent us from digging it out.**

" _Oh for the love of Kami please tell me this has a point,_ " Naruto didn't want to sound ungrateful but he did have a job to do. He knew if people were to help him and open up he'd have to earn their trust.

 **My husband spoke of another entrance, one long since abandoned. The founders of Nami blocked it off centuries ago. I never found out why or where the entrance was. Few did apparently. But if any one would know it would be the one calling herself Asagao. I don't know if that's her name but she's very well informed and possibly your best hope at finding where the entrance is.**

 **Good luck.**

Here the letter ended and Naruto silently cursed, **"** Great. Now I have to find someone who only shows up when they want to."

Even with his **Detection Skill** Asagao somehow managed to pop up without him knowing at times. One time he sensed her coming around a corner and the next he found her popping up behind him. This meant that she was either a shinobi or someone with shinobi training and extremely skilled at stealth and suppressing her presence. Naruto also cursed himself for not using his **Observe** on her whenever he did. Somehow the thought always seemed to slip his mind for some reason.

"Hey, Handsome," a voice behind him called out and Naruto had to force himself from not yelling out.

" _Speak of the Devil and she will appear,_ " Naruto thought but it also confirmed his suspicions. While Naruto's Detection Skill wasn't the greatest, though still better than his **Detect Bloodlust/Killing Intent** **Skill,** he should have been able to detect the woman's presence either way. This meant only one; the woman before him was obviously no ordinary civilian.

" _But is she an ally or the opposite?_ " Anko had been strict when it came to trusting unknowns. With third parties one never knew if they were actually on your side or merely looking for an opportunity to stab you in the back.

"You alright?" Asagao asked him.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," Naruto told her and became surprised when she but her hand to his head. "Uhhhhhh."

"No fever, that's good," Asagao nodded in relief. "So what can I do for you?"

"What makes you think I was looking for you?" he asked calmly but his heart was beating a mile a minute.

"Well, this is the same spot we met the first time. Remember?" she indicated, making Naruto blink as he looked around.

"Oh," the woman spoke truthfully as Naruto recognized certain qualities from the last time he was hear. Naruto honestly wondered how he managed to come back here in the first place.

"You space out a lot don't you?" she question made Naruto sputter and caused her to chuckled. "It's fine. We all got our weird quirks, handsome."

"Right, quirks," he spoke before he got to business. "I was told you could help me with something."

"It's two thousand ryo every half hour," she said and Naruto imitated his teammate by becoming bright scarlet at what she was implying, "For an additional thousand can you do my a-"

"NO! No, no, no, no! Not I wanted to ask!" he yelled and tried to get the image out of his mind.

"Ha ha ha ha," Asagao laughed at his flustered look, " Oh, that was too easy. Relax, handsome, I know you're not the type for that sort of thing," she smirked.

"Then why-"

"I needed a good laugh. It hasn't been that great these last few days and I needed a picker upper," she laughed at his comical and disbelieving look. "But seriously, what can I do for you? You looking for information?"

Focusing, despite the befuddlement that still lingered in his thoughts, Naruto asked her, "What can you tell about this cave the fishermen used?"

The woman cocked an eyebrow, clearly not expecting such a request, "That's a first. Not that I don't know what you're talking about but why do you wanna know about it?"

"Personal reasons," he said.

"Sorry handsome but that's not gonna cut it for me," she frowned and her eyebrows creased, "No talk, I walk."

" _Shit,_ " the disguised blond cursed and tried to come up with another tactic, but as the woman looked ready to make herself scarce he blurted out, "I wanna help the people of Nami."

" _So much for keeping a low profile. Anko's gonna kill me,_ " he felt like kicking himself.

"See, now was that so hard?" she quipped, "Ok, I'll tell you but I want something in return. Nothing too bad or difficult," she quickly added.

" _She said nothing "too bad" or difficult,_ "this meant it was still bad and may not be as easy to accomplish. "What is it?"

Here she smiled but unlike before Naruto briefly had the impression he was gazing into eyes of a predator before the look in her eye vanished just as quickly. While brief Naruto's assumption of her being an ordinary woman disappeared. Whether she was a ninja or just an extraordinary civilian was yet to be determined. But it was evident she was powerful or influential, or both. Naruto simply couldn't just take her in for questioning. For one it would draw too much attention to himself and if she was in fact a ninja there was also no guarantee he could beat her.

 **For thinking things out-**

" _Yeah, yeah my WIS goes up,_ " Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. At some point he'd find a way to prevent that from popping up during crucial events.

"Simple, I want you to make sure Nami's food shortage comes to an end," she smiled.

"…Huh?" of all the requests she'd ask Naruto did not see that one coming. "Eh, ok, no problem. But why do you care about Nami?"

"I don't care much for Nami, really. But I have a soft spot for kids and I can't stand seeing starving children. Call it a weakness," she answered him cryptically. "Plus a well fed populace makes better soldiers if you're trying to get them to reveal information on Gato," she smiled knowingly at Naruto's stunned look, "Yeah, you're not that subtle and unlike you I know how to make the people of Nami talk, Handsome."

"How long have you known?" Naruto knew there was no point in hiding who he was any longer.

"The moment I saw you I knew you were more than what you posed to be, shinobi-san. Unlike your ordinary dimwitted call girl I've dealt with enough of your kind to recognize you from a mile away," Asagao explained. "But most importantly, while you might be able to fool those where you're from, your acting skills sucks on someone who's played the game longer than you have. But I digress. My offer still stands; you help feed the masses and I tell you which base Gato's hiding in."

"And how the hell do you know where he is? It's obvious you're more than who you appear to be. Why don't you do something about Gato?" Naruto wondered.

"You're making the assumption I can. I can do many things but fighting an army of ruthless thugs by myself isn't one of them. You need me to gather information or seduce someone then I'm your woman. Fighting one or two of Gato's thugs I may be able to handle. Ask me to fight his army and the ninja he hired and you might as well ask a rock not to sink to the bottom of the ocean. I came here to live a peaceful life, but that plan was shot to hell when Gato set his eyes on Nami. That bastard is greedy too and once he's suck this place dry he'll move on and set his sight somewhere else. I've been around his types before and it's not that hard to figure out. Even if Nami is freed there are too many bad memories here for me. So you need to get rid of him for me and make the people grow a backbone. Do that and I'll tell you where he's hiding, deal?"

Though apprehensive to trust this woman, Naruto knew he had no choice. They couldn't allow the mission to drag on for long. Zabuza had most likely recovered more than half of his strength. Though he didn't want to face the man he'd rather do it when he was weakened. It would be a tough fight for sure but at least his chance at survival was greater than if he was at full health.

"Fine," Naruto shook her hand but brought her in close, "But if you stab me in the back you'll regret it," was the harsh promise. If there was anything Naruto hated more it was traitors or backstabbers. He was a forgiving person but was reluctant and slow to forgive when it came to those types of individuals.

Asagao merely shook her head and looked shaken but otherwise she gave the information he needed. With the information in hand, Naruto promptly left the alley he was in to get Ino. Not once noticing the once shaken up woman now sporting a grin before she left the alley herself, her plan slowly coming into fruition.

* * *

(Sometime Later)

"Yo, Anko-sensei!" Naruto shouted out as he entered the clearing with his teammate, and Ino suppressed a groan.

" _We're trying to keep a low profile you idiot!_ " the more things changed the more they stayed the same it would seem. Part of her wondered when Naruto would know when to use his inside voice. Then again the same could be said about Anko at times.

Quick as a flash, Anko flickered before them with a pleading look in her eyes, "For the love of Kami-sama please tell me you found something good?"

"Hmmm, maybe," Naruto thought it the perfect chance for payback. The idea was just as quickly destroyed as Anko's face had an even more pleading look. "Sensei, you alright?"

"I'm so boooooreeeed," she bawled into his shirt and Naruto seriously had no idea what to do at the moment. "Please tell me you got something! Please!" she wailed some more. Tears were now freely flowing from her eyes.

"Alright, alright, we found out something that can potential help with the food shortage," Naruto caved in to her pleading. The boy couldn't stand crying women and comforted his crying teacher.

More like ex-crying teacher when he saw her grinning face.

"And that's another way to get a man a spill his guts. If seduction doesn't work pour on them tears. Men are suckers for that crap and it works seven times out ten," the woman told the nodding Ino. The two kunoichi ignoring the gapping male near them.

"… Ah, shit! No fair!" an angry Naruto shouted. The realization that he had just been had finally settling in. Naruto considered himself a good liar, he had pulled the same crap with his **Oroike no Jutsu,** but didn't expect himself to have fallen to Anko's charade so quickly.

Anko merely scoffed, "What did I say about fair?"

Naruto was about to retort but was torn between wanting to curse and admitting that she had a point. In the end, all he did was huff and smack away Anko's hand as she ruffled his head.

"Ha! Can't believe you fell for that! Oldest trick in the book!" Naruto frowned as he heard Kiba laugh at his misfortune.

"Yeah, well I can't believe you haven't gotten this down yet! Took me six days to reach the top," it was true but even then the tree climbing exercise had not been mastered. Reaching the top was only part of it.

"Six days? Dude, it's only been five days and I'm already over three quarters up! What does that tell ya?"

"That these trees are small compared to Konoha's," Naruto's response immediately got Kiba to shut up. Even then he could hear light grumbling coming from the feral boy. Everyone in the clearing had to admit that Konoha's mighty trees dwarfed Nami's. The size comparison between the two was like that of a tree to a flower. No contest.

"So you plan on getting in and using the fish to get her to talk?" while Naruto's and Kiba's hunting exploits were good and all, Nami didn't have that many land fauna compared to the other countries.

Hunting them down was easy but hunting too much wouldn't be good for Nami's ecosystem. Nami was small but still had a very large populace and relied mostly on the bounties the ocean brought them to feed themselves. The fauna in the woods wasn't that large apparently and if they hunted too much of the creatures they'd be almost defenseless against the predators that hunted the prey. Wolves and bears stayed away from humans mostly but when food became scarce they wouldn't think twice about attacking a human. With Nami having only civilian militia, and an ill prepared or practically non-existent one at the moment, they'd stand little chance.

"Our plan's to find the place and seal as much of the little suckers as possible. Asagao said that if we help feed Nami she'll in turn tell us where Gato is."

Anko looked impassive as she heard the woman's name and when asked to elaborate what they knew about her it served to add more questions. Whoever she was Anko didn't doubt she was much more than she appeared if her team's information was anything to go by. During the war some of the worst enemies were civilians with some training in the shinobi arts. Unlike civilians, a shinobi could be recognized in many ways, such as by looking at their face or hands. Even in a Henge one could sometimes be recognized simply by the way they moved.

People whom had the bare minimum training as a ninja, especially natural born actors, could appear and act like as regular civilians. Around such individuals some shinobi let their guard down. Only for them to be struck down or wounded before it was too late to act. The fact that Naruto forgot to use his **Observe** on her each time they met only added more fuel to the fire. Once was shame on him, twice as well, any more times and then you realize something was amiss… that or the ninja was just terrible at critical thinking. Something Anko had painstakingly improved in the boy.

This Asagao character gave Anko the same impression and she was weary. Was the woman a civilian trained in the shinobi way? Was she someone under Gato's employ? Or was she part of a third party? There were too many questions and no answers to any of them for Anko's liking.

So far she hadn't shown any negative or hostile intentions but even then that meant nothing. History showed time and time again how others were forced to prove their worth to gain another's trust. Even when they succeeded to prove themselves some still ended up stabbed in the back both literally and figuratively.

Luckily through bed rest and healing sessions from both Hinata and Ino the man would be well enough to watch over his team alone by tomorrow. Technically speaking he could do it now but Anko was willing to grin and bear it for one last day if it meant him healing more quickly. Part of her wished they could have had the man benefit from Naruto's ability but the less anyone knew about the ability, the better.

"So where is this place?" she asked.

"Near the west-most part of Nami, near the ocean, I think," Naruto informed her. "Asagao says it used to be the original entrance until pirates began to use it as a base. Long story short, the pirates tried to take over Nami but the entrance and exit was caved in by the natives and they were trapped inside."

"Cut off? Then how the hell do you expect to get in and out?"

"Yeah, that's the problem. The entrance on land is too caved in to use and would draw too much attention if it were suddenly fixed. Apparently there's a series of tunnels and waterways beneath the entrance. But it's more or less a one way trip with the current."

"So getting in isn't the problem, it's getting out," Anko wasn't liking this but they didn't really have a choice in the matter.

"Bingo. Though Naruto thinks it might not be so bad," Ino added her two cents.

"Huh?"

"I've got a hunch that this cave is gonna end up being the natural dungeon of Nami. If it's the case then making our way out probably won't be a problem. The only problem though is the time it will take us to complete out task," Naruto explained. "Asagao said the other reason why the loss of the original entrance wasn't that big a deal was because it took them a day and a half to get to the underground lake cave. Takes em even longer to get out when they had to haul the spoils. That's why the other entrance was made. Cuts the time to get there by half a day."

"That deep huh?"

"Yeah, lucky us. Even with my ability to manipulate the time in dungeons it's probably gonna take us a while. Apparently there are a shit ton of tunnels down there. I've got Shadow Clones but it'll take us some time to find the place. It's your call but this is a step getting the mission over more quickly," even as he said this Naruto was hoping she'd let them go. The boy had been bored these last few days. Hunting was good and all but Naruto was itching for some dungeon crawling.

Anko couldn't argue with that. As time went on, the stronger Zabuza would become and possible reinforcements would arrive. They got lucky the last time they dealt with him. Now the man would be better prepared and know what to expect from them. On the plus side the dungeon may get them to level up a bit and give her team a slightly better advantage.

"Alright, once guard duties are over you two and Hinata are to rest up before leaving tonight to find this place. Midori will help. In her large form ocean currents aren't that much of a deal for her. She'll get you there but afterwards you guys are on your own. Hotto's gonna stay behind. I'm gonna be looking after the old man and with you gone I'm gonna need Hotto and Midori to watch over the old man's daughter and grand kid," though it was Kakashi's duty to do so the man was also in charge of watching over his team. She didn't doubt he knew Shadow Clones but as he was still on the mend she didn't wanna risk a relapse in his recovery.

"Wait, how's Midori gonna help us get there?" Ino immediately regretted asking the question the moment she saw her teacher's shit eating grin. " _Oh, fuck._ "

The blonde would later regret asking those words.

* * *

(Sometime Later)

"We … are never, ever! … doing that again!" a fuming and slime covered Ino shouted and huffed for air. The blonde girl spat out some of the slippery substance that entered her mouth. A look of pure disgust on her face as she attempted to rid herself of the filth.

"Yeah, I like to consider myself open minded but that was pure bullshit! Right now all I wanna do is take a bath and drink shots till I forget this ever happened," the blond ignored the fact that he never drank before in his life. Naruto was seriously gonna get back at the woman for this. Promise to not prank her be damned. There was a fine line and Anko had crossed it too many damn times. Being swallowed whole by a snake and then barfed out was an experience all three could have done without. "You all right, Hinata?"

"…"

"Hinata? Hello?" Ino asked.

"Please don't say anything, Ino-san," the Hyuga said and Ino slowly backed away.

"I think she's pissed. Is she pissed?" Naruto asked his fellow blonde.

"I'm guessing. So that's what n angry Hinata looks like," Ino whispered and shuddered lightly as the usually meek and amicable girl sent her an impassive but angry look. " _Oh, yeah, she's definitely pissed._ " Even though her face didn't look angry Ino could tell the Hyuga was not pleased at the moment.

Before they entered the dungeon both ninja and kunoichi washed themselves off to rid themselves of the smell and sticky substance that covered their bodies. Though none of them spoke, all three mentally agreed that what transpired was never going to be told anyone.

Ever.

Once they were ready and well prepared, checking their inventory and making sure everything was in tiptop shape, the three ninja made their way towards the dungeon entrance.

* * *

 **Unground Lake Dungeon – First Floor**

 **|Party must have a level 20 member|**

 **|Note: Possessing the Swimming Skill and Underwater Combat Skill is recommended|**

 **|Nighttime Dungeon Effect in Play|**

 **| Recommended Level: 20-30|**

* * *

"Ah, crap, I knew it," Naruto had his suspicions but the text box pretty much proved it for him. The underwater part meant they were most likely gonna need to swim and fight submerged. Anko had only taught them the basics as she was no expert and it rarely occurred. Ninja more or less fought on land or on top of water, not in it. She had informed them that Kiri and Ame ninja were known for water-based combat such as this and Suiton techniques. Some of them were used to drown or submerge their opponents to hamper their techniques and prowess.

Anko explained that while Tobirama Senju of Konoha had no rival in Suiton ninjutsu, Hattori Hanzo of Ame came pretty damn close, and he was unrivalled in underwater combat with the Senju being long dead. Teaching the ninja of his village to have that same advantage was a no brainer if faced against others. Though even with them being slightly prepared and having the skills it was not going to be easy.

"What's up with the **Nighttime** thing?" a curious Ino asked.

"Basically the monsters are gonna be stronger and it's probably gonna darker, too. In video games only certain monsters are out at night. They also offer a better challenge since you can't exactly see as well either. But as a result they're also stronger too by a few extra levels. Shouldn't be too bad though," Naruto explained. Except for Naruto, none of them had ever done missions or dungeon training at night before unless one counted the **Zombie World Dungeon.** Technically it was dark and nighttime in the dungeon but it was more aesthetic than anything.

"So it's kinda like how certain predators like panthers or owls only do their hunting at night," Ino assessed. Much of the dungeons mechanics she noticed revolved or were somewhat based on real life occurrences and happenstances. This night time effect reminded Ino of such a thing. "Good thing we have Hinata then. Her Byakugan will make seeing in the dark easier, right?"

"Um, well, just by a bit," the stuttering began, "The Byakugan offers better visibility in darkened areas but in caves I'm afraid my range is limited. I can see through certain things, but…"

"But if it's too damn thick you can't," Ino assumed and groaned when Hinata nodded. "Meh, Anko-sensei keeps telling us not to put all our eggs in one basket anyway," it didn't mean she liked it but Ino wasn't going to whine either. It could be worse and it would give them better experience.

"Ano, Naruto-kun, what are we expecting in there?" Hinata asked her teammate. Ino also appeared juts as curious as her kunoichi in arms.

"No idea. But if have to guess this is a cave and near the ocean it's probably gonna be some water monsters or something water related. Good thing you guys know some lightning techniques," neither kunoichi had to ask. It was common sense - and it didn't take a genius - that water creatures were weak to electricity. Though it also meant that Naruto's Katon ninjutsu and Hinata's Suiton ninjutsu wouldn't be as effective. Though it was more so the former of the two.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road," Naruto declared before their vision was blinded by a flash of bright light. As the brilliance that momentarily stole their vision disappeared, Team Eight was immediately greeted with a sight few could ever claim to have seen.

The cave was lit up with a green and ocean blue glow. The cave had a series of tunnels and ponds of bright or darkened water. On the walls was a multitude of glowing coral and bioluminescent lichen or moss, most likely the source of the light in the cave. All in all, it was a scene that took their breath away and none of them doubted they'd see ever see anything quite like it again.

"Whoa," was all an awed Ino could say.

"Yeah, whoa," Naruto had to agree while Hinata remained speechless. "Not that this isn't great and all but time's a wasting."

Though Ino and Hinata would have liked to have stayed longer both knew that Naruto was right. While his ability to slow down time was great, Ino knew it would take them quite sometime to get to their destination. None of them knew which tunnel lead to their goal and who knows what they would encounter down here.

* * *

(A Little Over Two Hours Later)

"I said it before and I'll say it again, haven't we had a enough of zombies?" Ino asked as she lashed out with a kick and followed up with a heel stomp on the bone white cranium.

"For the last time they're not zombies. They're skeletons!" Naruto shouted out the difference as he smashed in the visibly rib cage of his opponent. Naruto had been the first to notice the lack of bodies in the dungeon. If Asageo spoke truthfully then the cave should have been littered with the bones and corpses of the dead pirates. The sudden appearance of their foes explained what had happened to them. Naruto had half expected to encounter ghosts or some kind of water monsters/creatures that ended up being the reason why no bones were seen. A creature he could deal with, and he'd take a walking and hostile skeleton over a ghost any day.

"Not that big a difference if you ask me," the blonde muttered before she blocked a strike and counted with a vicious kick to the spine. Both types of foes were undead and unpleasant to look at. Though in the **Skeleton Pirates** case they smelled slightly better seeing as how they didn't have decomposing flesh that reeked horrendously.

* * *

 **Buccaneer Skeleton Pirate – Lv. 26**

 **HP: 2200**

 **CP: 900**

 **STR: 58**

 **VIT: 88**

 **DEX: 79**

 **INT: 36**

 **WIS: 45**

 **LUK: 0 (You're dead, your luck sucks.)**

 **Defense: 30**

 **Elemental Affinity: None**

 **Perks:**

 **Undead Pirate:** Ignore pain, 30% less damage taken by sharp objects, loot drop increased by 30%, 30% increase efficiency and effectiveness towards Dirty Tactics and Swordsmanship

 **Cannibal** : 4% HP Regen per 5 seconds outside of combat when eating meat, 3% HP Regen per 5 seconds during combat when eating own kind.

 **All-Bone:** +30% increased damage from taijutsu and blunt objects, Immune to Genjutsu, +30% Resistance towards Suiton and Katon, -30 Resistance towards Doton, +50% increase to movement speed in and out of combat, +25% increase towards evasion and dodging skill

 **Description: Contrast to their flesh and disease-ridden cousins, the zombies, skeletons are studier, deadlier, much quicker, and above all smarter. This jumble of bones is may look fragile but their lightweight allow them to move quickly and perform feats zombies otherwise could not. Being possessed by dead and vengeful spirits, these undead foes envy the living and will attack anyone that crosses their sight. As they are possessed by the souls of former pirates their skill in swordsmanship should not be taken lightly.**

 **EXP Earned: 276 EXP**

 **Drops: 700-1056 Ryo, Rusty Cutlass, ?, ?**

* * *

"Besides with the perks we have it's not gonna be that hard to deal with them," Ino grumbled though. Until she hit level 25 she would be stuck with only three titles compared to Naruto's four. The fact that you couldn't change titles during combat or in dungeons sucked too. It would have made her techniques more effective. At least she leveled up because of the amount they killed so she was one step closer to it.

"TAKE COVER!" Naruto suddenly shouted and promptly shoved Ino out of the way. Ino's mind was working a mile a minute as she tried to figure out what was happening before the spot where she once stood in unexpectedly exploded. The explosion shook the walls and sent dirt and debris flying in every which way as well as causing a dust cloud to form.

"W-what the hell?" a shaken up Ino wondered what exactly had just happened.

"Cannons," she heard Hinata speak behind her.

"Cannons?" a decent crack in the wall allowed Ino the chance to see on the opposing wall. Though the caverns were dark, some of the **Skeleton Pirates** held torches and cutlasses; Ino could make out the forms of shiny dark metal cylinders. True to Hinata's word the enemy were using cannons of all things.

"Alright, this just got a little trickier," Ino had to stop herself when Naruto stated the obvious. They were in a series of narrow caves with only one-way in or out at the moment. This meant they couldn't exactly have the liberty to move as much as they wanted to without being blown to bits. Sure she'd admit that Naruto was strong and fast but not enough to avoid sudden cannon fire. The only reason why he managed before was because he noticed them before they were fired.

Cannon fire in general weren't all that much of a threat to shinobi quick enough to evade and know where blast was going to strike. It was one of the reasons why other forms of war machines were developed during the Shinobi World Wars. They were quicker, could fire more, more widespread and were more lethal in general compared to the one shot cannons had. Even then she read that many still used canons, as they were a hell of a lot cheaper, and got creative on how to use them.

"Ah, crap. Seals," she realized and braced herself as another explosion occurred. Dust and rocks from above fell on top of her and Ino began to worry if the celling was going to cave in on them. _"Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Literally!"_

"No doubt about it," Naruto wasn't lost on the irony that one of his own skills was being used against him. A quick use of **Observe** made him curse even more when the cannons the pirates held showed they did in fact have seals on them. He didn't doubt it made them more powerful and allowed them to shoot without having to reload in the conventional sense. "It's times like this I wish I could summon like Anko-sensei."

The thought of having a summon of his own had often entered Naruto's mind as he spent more time with Midori and Anko. Anko herself didn't have the summoning contract to the serpents so Naruto wouldn't be able to sign on with them any time soon. The boy doubted that her former mentor was all that willing to let him sign it either. From what he remembered the Monkeys, Slugs, Toads and Snakes were four of the most famed summons in the elemental countries. Not _the_ most powerful, but they were in the top ten strongest summons known to mankind. Add that they had gained famed and notoriety due to their summoners, past and present alike, being exceptionally powerful ninja was a bonus. Problem was that three were inaccessible at the moment and one was allied with a clan.

BOOM!

Flinching at the sound and impact that rang in their ears, Naruto didn't know much about the other two but having a snake summon would be great right now. The speed and strength would allow it to take care of the cannon fire. But since they didn't have that option they'd have to improvise.

"Hey, Ino, you think you can take one over?" Naruto asked.

"No can do. Contrary to popular belief my clan's techniques don't send our soul into another's body. Our technique sends our minds and conscience to fight our victims' brain to suppress and take over their body. If it was an ordinary zombie it'd would be no problem since they still have a mind," Ino said.

"But since these guys are all bone and are basically just souls keeping bones together it's a no go, right? Crap," he cursed their luck as Ino nodded.

"Ano… Naruto-kun, why don't you Henge into a kunai and then have one of us toss you behind them?" was the Hyuga's input.

"… Why the hell didn't I think of that?" it was a simple but effective solution. Creating a Shadow Clone of himself, Naruto then used the Henge to transform himself into a Fuma Shuriken. Prepping himself the clone then rushed to the entrance and then tossed the transformed Naruto with all its might before its existence came to an end courtesy of cannon fire.

The Fuma Shuriken then landed behind the unsuspecting undead pirates before Naruto returned to normal. The closes skeletons were left defenseless as Naruto swung and crushed them with his Kanabo with the left hand while he blocked a sword strike with his uchigatana. The blond then made short work of the attacking skeletal being with a series of quick and heavy chakra enhanced blows. Naruto then proceeded to pepper the skeletons near the second cannon with flying metal and paper before a heavy explosion rocked the cave.

"NOW!" he shouted now that the entrance was no longer at risk at being shot at. The blond couldn't have picked a better time to get back up as a new wave of **Pirate Skeletons** made themselves known. He fought as best he could but the amount forced him to create several clones, some of them being overwhelmed by the skeletons.

Kage Bunshin were great and all but Naruto hated that they were so easy to get rid of with a well-placed hit. " _Better them then me though,_ " he thought as his teammates finally joined him. As both of them we very taijutsu oriented, Hinata moreso, their techniques were much more effective against the skeletal beings.

"I can see an aura surrounding them," Hinata spoke and ducked under a sword swing. Ino jumped over her teammate, grabbed the skeleton's arms and proceeded to land a flurry of kicks on its exposed defenseless body. "The bones are being held together by some form of chakra like apparition."

"You mean like a ghost?" Ino asked.

"GHOST!" Naruto instantaneously spun around, a look of fear on his face, and inadvertently ending four skeletons in one go as his kanabo smashed their skulls into dust. "WHERE!?"

Ino and the few skeletons near her sweatdropped at his over dramatic reaction, " _He's willing to fight tooth and nail against an A-Rank nuke-nin but ask him to fight a ghost and he becomes the world's greatest wimp,_ " sometimes Naruto's odd quirks made her wonder why he wasn't in the loony bin.

Thud.

"Eh?" Ino cocked an eyebrow before she spotted a series of bones fall limply to the ground. "What the-"

Ino's question was already answered before she had time to ask it. The Yamanaka watched as Hinata landed a few well place blows behind skeleton. From her point of view it appeared as though Hinata was missing the mark completely and striking nothing but air. Then the bones such as the arms, legs, hands and head would begin to fall one by one before they moved no longer.

It took Ino only a second to realize the Hyuga was attacking the spirits controlling the skeletons head one. Anko had mentioned during their lessons that some Suna shinobi used puppets to fight for them. Attacking the puppets themselves were a waste of time and energy. To end the fight you needed to bring down the one controlling the puppets. In this scenario the puppet was the skeleton and the spirit was the master pulling the strings.

 **For thinking things through carefully your WIS and INT have increased by 1!**

" _There's a first,_ " Ino remarked as another skeleton went down courtesy of Hinata's Juken strikes. Not one to be outdone by the group wallflower, despite her improvement, Ino set out to end just as many skeletons with her furious kicks. Her weapon/armor was pretty much useless for offense at the moment.

Ino however felt a cut on her side, nothing too bad but it distracted her enough for another skeleton to sneak up behind her and land another blow. "Argh!" Ino growled as frustration clouded her mind and she found herself surrounded by three skeletons like a caged animal. " **Raiton: Jibashi** (Lighting Release: Electromagnetic Murder)!" she declared and watched as lightning danced around her and struck her enemies. While the move didn't do that much damage to them, barely 200 hundred, it did momentarily halt them in their tracks.

This gave Ino an ample amount of time to duck beneath one of their legs before she lashed out with a double donkey kick. Ino put in all her strength and bodyweight into the attack that it caused the skeleton to barrel into its comrades before they tripped over themselves.

" **Saigasho** (Crushing Fang Impact)!" Naruto declared and brought down his kanabo to end the fallen skeletons. Coupled with his increased strength, technique and weapon the skeleton were felled in a good two solid blows.

"Hey, those three were mine!" Ino shouted.

"Sorry, s'cuse me for helping out. Sheesh," Naruto didn't know why she was acting the way she was but he was staying out of it. "All right, lets grab the loot and take a breather," no sense in going any further when it was clear they were in a dead end. This meant they'd have to retrace their steps.

All three had been fighting virtually nonstop for the past two hours or so. Ino didn't know if it was Naruto's ability or not but if this had been the amount of pirates that planned to take over Nami the girl didn't doubt for a second the fight would have been bloody and quick. Nami no Kuni's ancestors had been smart to close them off and sealed them in the caves.

As they collected the loot, most of it being money, a skeleton bone, or a rusty cutlass, Ino spotted Naruto sealing one of the cannons into a scroll. No doubt he had plans for it but she could help but wonder what. As she continued gathering everything, Ino spotted a chest under the water of a nearby pool. It wasn't too deep she noted and the prospect of getting a ton of loot was too good to pass up. Grabbing one end, Ino grunted as she slowly hoisted it up onto dry land.

But no sooner had it been placed on the ground did the chest come alive. The trunk revealing a set of razor sharp teeth and a wet hungry tongue that reeked of rotten foul flesh. Ino made to let go but found her hands stuck to the handles/arms of the creature and she could only scream as it snapped at her.

* * *

(Meanwhile)

Gato released a content smile as he went over the ledgers, both official and off records. His legitimate business was making him a great sum of money. If he read it correctly, and he was pretty certain he did, he'd have a thirteen to nineteen percent increase in revenue from the last quarter if business continued as it was.

His other business, while not making as much, was making him a great deal of profit. The only difference between them was the lack of tax being taken off and reducing the amount he should be earning. Well, that and the illegality of human and drug trafficking of it all. It was one of the reasons why he got into this business. Growing up on the streets, Gato had nothing to his name except his wit and intelligence.

Many, ninja and civilian alike, didn't even bother to give him a sideways glance or even attempt to help him. It had been by pure chance that someone had seen worth in him. Took him in, taught him the trade and how to put his smarts to profitable use. From him Gato had managed to go from a street urchin to a decent businessman, and later on a rich successful businessman. Though it hadn't been without consequences.

Gato had made many enemies over the years, powerful ones. The man had seen first hand how if he stepped on the wrong toes it could be the end of him and all that he had worked hard to build. That was the last thing he needed. And from that point Gato could only trust those who were in his complete control. Zabuza and his band of merry men weren't in his control. They were a liability in his mind, and he needed to get rid of them quickly.

The only problem was who to find to get rid of them? Zabuza was weak, now, but once he recovered he'd be difficult to deal with. Contrary to how easy it looked in the minds of others, finding powerful missing ninja to take on contracts weren't all that easy actually. A and S-Rank ones especially, and they weren't cheap either. "He'd better come through or else-"

"Gato-sama!?" he heard a voice over the intercom.

"What is it? I'm in the middle of something," the message while unspoken was clear as crystal: It had better be important.

"Y-you know those n-new recruits you as…asked for?" Gato was confused by messy stuttering, "th-the-they're dead, sir. One of th-them kill… killed them all," the man managed to finish.

"WHAT!" Gato roared in anger and made his way towards the door of his office. Whoever was responsible was going to pay for this. The short man would assure to that. But Gato never got the chance to do so as the doors to his office were suddenly and unexpectedly flung opened with a large wham. Gato barely had time to drop to the ground as a lifeless body was sent flying over him and smacked against his desk.

The corrupt business owner paled as he saw blood pouring out of the various wounds the man had. Or, at least, he was certain it was a man. The person could have been a woman for all he knew under all those bruises and swollen body parts.

"Hey, short stack, you Gato?" a voice called out.

His fear momentarily replaced with anger, Gato rounded one the individual but realized he only just met the man's waist. The man was a giant from his point of view. Though Gato wasn't exactly the tallest of men either. As he looked upon the man face, Gato's fear returned greater than before. The grin the giant had before him making him become even more unsettled.

"I heard you're offering a job that pays pretty well," here he bent over and looked the man straight in the eye, "Let's talk business."

(Minutes Later)

"Zabuza-sama, are you sure you're-"

"I'm good enough, Haku. If I stay in bed any longer I'm gonna lose it. Besides, I'd rather not give those tree huggers any more time to prepare," Zabuza would have preferred being at one hundred percent health but he couldn't risk the Konoha ninja finding out where they were. Both Gozu and Meizu were fully healed and would take care of the Genin while he and Haku separated them from their Jonin. The two had been told to fight smart and not fool around this time. They didn't so much as need to win the fight so much as they needed a couple of hostages to get the old man to hand himself over. Part of him believed it would work. The last time was to catch him off guard and the brat wasn't actually in harms way.

"But you're not in fighting shape!"

"Relax, all we're doing is grabbing one of their brats. You said it yourself you haven't seen Hatake. I'd wager he's still resting too. All we need it one of them and the Snake Bitch ain't all that tou-"

"Ah, Zabuza, finally ready to do what I paid you for?" the short man's scowl was met by Zabuza's own.

"Don't get your panties in a knot, Gato. Give us a couple of days and the old man will be ours," Zabuza assured him. "Just make sure you have our money ready when it's done."

"Ah, yes, about that. Pardon me if I don't take your word to heart given your previous performance," the man's words made Zabuza scowl even further, "I don't need anymore slip ups. Which is why I took the liberty of hiring another to make sure the job gets done. This isn't up for debate."

"You little shit. That wasn't part of the deal!" Zabuza wasn't going to allow some other ninja get in on the action. They last thing he needed was splitting the fee in half. The Resistance needed all the money they could get sooner than later, "Besides, I work better with those I know and trust."

"Good thing you know me then, Zabu," a voice called out.

All four shinobi looked to the door before a figure made himself become known from behind the small man. Zabuza, Meizu, and Gozu, for their parts remained motionless as they saw the individual. Complete disbelief washed over them like a wave and before it was replaced with worry. For a moment they three nuke nin believed their minds were playing tricks on them, part of them praying it was the case. But as a chuckle escaped the person's lips they had knew it was futile.

"Still the carrying around that oversized meat cleaver, eh, Zabuza. Then again you needed to in order to compensate," the man's smirked revealed a set of nasty and pointy looking teeth.

"Zabuza-sama, who's that?" Haku asked the stunned swordsman. The recovered swordsman couldn't properly make a phrase to answer his ward.

"Oh, Zabu, you didn't talk about me, I'm hurt," the man really wasn't and directed his attention to Haku, "Nice to meet ya, kid. Seeing as we're about to raise a little hell together it's only natural I introduce myself," here he released a dark and ominous chuckle that sent shivers down to the souls of everyone present. And why wouldn't it? Before them was, without question, the Strongest of the Seven Swordsmen and S-Rank missing ninja.

"The name's Kisame. I'm the Monster of the Bloody Mist."

* * *

 **I am so very, deeply sorry for the long wait. Things got out of hand really quickly and my life has been a series of what the hell moments after another. Here is the next chapter give tons of reviews please like you usually do, 70-80, and the next one should be available by next Sunday. If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask. Also the next chapter will be more action filled.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: Swimming with the Fishes**

"KIYAAAHHHHH!" Ino shouted her heart out as the chest she was stuck to attempted to bite her face off. Her screams of terror getting the immediate attention of her teammates, "GET THIS FUCKING THING OFF ME!"

"GRAAGGHHH!" the chest monster snarled as it used its small but strong arms to bring her closer to its razor filled maw. Ino swore this was going to be the end before the mouth was harshly closed mere inches before her face.

"Damn Mimics," Naruto spoke, never once letting up his kanabo from the creature's head. The boy would have been surprised if it had been defeated so easily. Mimics were easily one of the sturdiest of monsters and decently tough, especially their king variants. Most weapons and Taijutsu didn't have that much of an effect on them due to their tolerance for them.

"Grrarargggh!" the creature buckled and shook to free itself. But not once did it let go of Ino. Mimics rarely ever did let go of their prey once they grabbed a hold on them. There were few times they ever did, two of them were when their captive was dead or the Mimic was itself was dead. Even when unconscious it would take monstrous strength to get a Mimic to relinquish their grip.

" **Observe!** "

* * *

 **Pirate Chest Mimic– Lv. 25**

 **HP: 3000**

 **CP: 1100**

 **STR: 86**

 **VIT: 100**

 **DEX: 39**

 **INT: 44**

 **WIS: 5**

 **LUK: 41**

 **Defense: 120**

 **Elemental Affinity: None**

 **Perks:**

 **Master of Disguise:** Undetectable via common sensory or detection techniques, can imitate virtually any object of its size, +50% Effectiveness and Efficiency towards Sneak Attacks, +25% increase towards Critical Strikes

 **Ravenous** : Capable of recovering health by consuming bodies of beasts, living, or undead, +30% increase in Effectiveness towards Grappling, +30% increase towards STR, DEX and movement speed when HP is below 40%

 **Natural Reinforcement** : +500 HP, +50 Defense, +75% Tolerance towards Taijutsu, Bukijutsu and Kenjutsu, -25% tolerance towards Blunt Weapons, +50% Effectiveness towards Blocking

 **Environment Adaptability** : Whichever environment the mimic is in it gains +75% towards certain elemental tolerance and -75% towards its opposing nature

 **Description:** Mimics are easily one of the most dangerous of monsters due to its ability to shapeshift into virtually any object of its size. Usually, it takes on the appearance of an object that creatures or people will approach without thought or gain their interest. More often it commonly takes on the appearance of chests. The mimic can lay dormant for months at a time in a hibernation-like state, even in the oddest of places, and is virtually harmless. Once touched, however; mimics will enter into a ravenous frenzy and seek to feed and consume whoever grabbed it and those nearby. Its body secretes an invisible but powerful adhesive film that holds fast to creatures who touch it. While stuck the Mimic will beat them to death with its arms or rip them apart with its fine dagger-like teeth. Mimics will rarely ever let go of their prey. Afterwards, the mimic has fed it will resume its hibernation for a month or so. During this time, it will be harmless and can be carried around without fear of being harmed or killed.

 **EXP Earned: ? EXP**

 **Drops: ?, ?, ?**

* * *

" _Fuck, I thought so,_ " Naruto knew this was going to be tricky as hell. "Hang on, Ino."

The Yamanaka wanted to shout at him for the poor attempt at humor but her focus was on the abomination trying to eat her. The kunoichi doubted she'd look at chests the same way again.

After creating eight clones, one of which was used to help keep its mouth shut, the Narutos then proceeded to lift up their glowing chakra wrapped weapons. The action gave the sentient chest pause before it realized what was about to occur.

" **Happo Rengeki** (Eight Directions Furious Strikes!" they shouted and proceeded to land blow after blow on the chest. The first blow did nothing to the Mimic, the second either, the third stung lightly, the fourth even more, the fifth one caused discomfort, the six caused greater discomfort, on the seventh it felt pain and on the eighth it could stand the blows no more.

The Mimic was a resilient creature but even then there was only so much damage it could endure before its survival instincts kicked in. Though they weren't the smartest of creatures, mostly driven by instincts, they were smarter than most wild animals. Though rarely did they release their meals they would not hesitate to do so if it meant living to fight another day. As it released its hold on Ino, who made a mad dash away from it, the Mimic jumped and suddenly spun, grabbing a hold of two of its attackers.

Upon landing back down, making the clone that held its mouth shut, go poof, and two clones were caught; one by the leg and the other by the arm, the two subsequently forced to the ground. The fun didn't end there as the hungry and drooling creature put their legs in its maw and bite down hard! Normally such an act would have dismembered others. Too bad for the Mimic the only thing it tasted was smoke as the action merely caused the clones to disappear.

"Fore!" the remaining clones and original shouted before the Mimic was greeted with a barrage of blows. This time, however; it was prepared and crossed its arms to lessen the harm that was to come.

"Ugh," Naruto grunted as he felt his arm shake slightly from the recoil. The blond knew the Mimic was going to be tough defense wise but didn't think it would be this tough. With strength one would not expect from such a creature, Naruto was forced back several feet by an unexpected shove. The blond grunted as he smacked into a boulder that stopped him in his tracks.

Too bad for the Mimic, and while Naruto liked a challenge, a pissed off or irritated Naruto wasn't someone you wanted to mess with.

" **Geki Rekkō** (Raging Light Fangs)!"

"What the?!" the blond blinked as the Mimic was being pelted by a hailstorm of electric powered water needles. Each one that landed on the Mimic caused discomfort, slowly crescendoing into pain as the combination technique worked against its weakness.

The two kunoichi, however, were forced to let up as they felt their reserves being drained by the technique. Strong as it was the attack was relatively new and taxing for both Ino and Hinata. All three didn't know how long it would be before they got out and they needed to conserve as much chakra as possible. Matters only seemed to get worse as the Mimic started pounding the ground as though it was enraged and going berserk. Its speed, though relatively slow, had quickened and was making its way towards the two kunoichi. The ground and stone beneath buckled slightly under the pressure as it hopped along.

*WHISTLE!*

The sharp two-toned sound didn't grab the Mimic's attention as he had hoped but the use of Shadow Clone did. The clone struck the Mimic a few times before the creature ended its existence. But the distraction worked out just as he had hoped.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

A thunderous boom echoed and rocked the cave before rocks, dust, and water was thrown up into the air. The Mimic was sent flying before it impacted hard into a wall. The creature rose up once more only to get a face full of iron that caved it in further and sending it back into the wall of rock. Naruto was very much pleased he had sealed one of the canons at the moment. While it was unconventional, bulky and difficult to use in actual combat the thing packed a large amount of wallop in it that none of their weapons or techniques could at the moment. Following up with another shot, Naruto was pleased to see the Mimic finally go down for good as it disintegrated into lights. Unlike regular canons that used gunpowder these modified ones used a person's own chakra and had a seal that reloaded them every five seconds. The five seconds was not that great but it got the job done with a creature this slow.

"Ok, take two. Grab the loot, rest up, and let's leave any chests alone until I give the okay," Naruto looked at Ino who merely flipped him off before checking on the downed Mimic's loot. Anko's attitude was really rubbing off on the girl.

"HOLY SHIT!"

Battle ready, Naruto appeared beside Ino and Hinata but spotted no enemy. "What's wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing," Ino chuckled as she pointed at the loot the Mimic had dropped: a scroll, a neat stack of ryo bills, at least fifteen thousand worth, and more than what a common enemy dropped, and a neat ingot of dark silver metal. But it wasn't just any metal. It was Chakra Metal.

That in itself was worth a pretty ryo. Any metal that was in its purest form was worth a ton of money. Naruto didn't know how much chakra metal was in its purest state but guessed it was enough if Ino's ryo filled eyes were anything to go by.

"Dibs!" Ino shouted and greedily grabbed the block of refined metal.

Only to nearly drop it as the weight almost overwhelmed her. Though physically stronger than she used to be Ino still had a while to go. Chakra metal was very dense and therefore heavy to carry despite its small size. Most ninja that used them were physically strong and made wielding them appear easy.

"You can't just call dibs!" Naruto declared. "Besides what about Hinata and me?"

"First off, it's Hinata and I. Secondly, you already got your super rare chakra metal that will set you up for life," Naruto had to concede to that, "And finally, this is just like shopping. If you call it, you grab it, you get it!"

" _Hardly seems fair,_ " Naruto thought. Anko's words about fairness suddenly left the blonde's lips, making him sigh before he divided up the loot, five thousand ryo each. "What are you gonna do with chakra metal anyway? You have a weapon."

"None of your business. You have your secrets, Hinata and I are entitled to our own," was all she was going to say.

"Whatever," he'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious but Ino was a lockbox when it came to secrets. They went in but rarely, if ever, did they come out.

"Mina, is it ok if I take the scroll?" Hinata stammered lightly. "It's a Suiton one anyway so I'm the only one who could use it."

"Yeah, go ahead," Naruto didn't bother fighting with her. At least Hinata had the decency to ask first rather than being greedy like Ino. "What's it called anyway?"

"… I'd rather not say," the girl blushed and did her best to hide it.

"Aww, not you too!" Naruto whined while Ino looked smug. Between Ino and Anko, Hinata was the nicer and more open one of the bunch. Pretty soon the girl would become corrupted by their influence and Naruto would really be outmatched. This was not looking good for him or Hotto.

* * *

 **(Nine Hours Later; Outside the Dungeon)**

"Morning, brats, Hatake," Anko greeted the group. The only acknowledgment she received were moans from the Genin and silence from the Jounin.

*Whine* was Hotto's reply. The small ninken looked depressed for not being able to participate in the dungeon like his partner and pack. While watching over the bridge builder and his family were in the Komainu hybrid's blood the ninken was used to action too and he was getting antsy for some.

"Stop your whining, Poochie-Gaki. I get enough from these whinoes," the woman ignored the tired glares she got from Team Seven.

"Speaking of which, where's your team, Anko?" Kakashi asked, gaining the interest of Sasuke and Kiba.

"Out scouting. If all goes well we may be outta here in a few days or so if the intel turns out well," Anko prayed that their luck held out. As it was her team had spent thirty-six hours in the dungeon already with the time difference. The woman silently called up the status of the group and despite their CP levels being down, along with their HP, they were doing all right.

"So what's the plan for today?" she asked mostly to help get her mind off her team.

"We'll since you've been doing a good job training these three," Kakashi began and his team's eyes widened.

"Hell no!" Anko practically shouted, "Your team, you teach em! _For once,_ " she mentally added the last bit.

"But you're so good at it," the man smiled despite the glare she sent him. "Mah, mah, it's fine. I'm up for it," Kakashi chuckled.

Team Seven didn't know how to react to it; all four were torn between relief and worry. Worry because they had no idea what was in store for them, and relief because Anko wouldn't be teaching them anymore. Though they learned a decent amount from her, the woman was bat shit insane. Kakashi's laziness was the lesser of two evils.

"Then I guess me and the pooch we'll be watching the Old Man work," Anko released a dejected sigh at the boredom that was to come. And since the workers weren't really eye candy, or close to her definition of good looking, the woman couldn't even ogle them either.

This was gonna suck.

The only decent thing that had occurred was the tongue lashing Naruto had given the Old Man's grandson, Inari, before he and his teammates left for the dungeon. Anko felt sorry for the kid, she honestly did, but his bitching and moaning and the comment he made had made even her want to lash out at him. The boy's father died in believing what he thought was right and Inari was basically shitting on his legacy for doing nothing but wait around, cry and do nothing to change anything.

The boy had it rough, but Anko knew that others had it much worse. The boy still had his mother and grandfather, some of the Genin, and both Jonin here didn't have anything of those. Naruto had basically set the kid straight by, for lack of better words, to man up or shut up. The kid hadn't been seen since but with the amount of time she spent here, Anko thought it had been long overdue in her mind.

 **(With Zabuza and Kisame)**

"So that's the bridge, huh?" Kisame commented and could help but admit it looked nice. The man wasn't really one for admiring such structures, the fishman preferred to smash or bring such things down in a manner similar to his colleague Deidara. Though without the lack of being a pansy, explosions, and doing it at a distance and out of harms way. Kisame much preferred getting in close and personal with his trusty sword.

"Yeah," was Zabuza's only reply. The man didn't like the situation he and his group were currently in. He was weary, and with good reason, Kisame hadn't been a part of the Seven Swordsman Strongest generation but only a fool would doubt his power. The man had killed the former wielder of Samehada with a sneak attack but even that was no small feat to achieve.

When the other swordsmen found out they sought to prove Kisame didn't belong in their group, that he wasn't a real swordsman. Oh, he had the bloodthirst for it, but even then they hadn't accepted the newcomer. It was more or less tradition to do so with the newcomers to see if they had the backbone and balls to be a member of the Seven. Too bad for them the man had simply grinned and proceeded to beat the living shit out of them. The Heartless Pair had been brought to their knees while Zabuza, Mangetsu and Ameyuri had been rendered unconscious.

Jinin, being the stubborn and aggressive idiot he had been, didn't let up even when the outcome was painfully obvious. Kisame had gotten bored and then annoyed and when it had become evident the man wasn't going to stop did Kisame brutally beat him into a state of near death. The man hadn't wanted to kill a fellow swordsman, at least that's what he claimed, but the man wasn't going to let up and let Jinin try to take his life either and needed to send a clear message. The small man's heroic nature at avenging his fellow swordsman had been his downfall. Their jest had gotten out of hand, their adrenaline pumping like mad, and Kisame had become the unofficial leader of the Seven Swordsmen.

Even though he didn't outright kill Jinin the injuries he had suffered ultimately lead to his death when the Mizukage turned on them. Jinin had been the first to go, his injuries never quite healing properly and made him easy pickings. Mangetsu was next, and had killed a ton of Kiri ninja before he had gotten himself trapped and electrocuted alive by a dozen hunter-nin; his clan's greatest strength being used against him. Ameyuri, last he heard, was MIA but Zabuza had a gut feeling that she too had perished. Zabuza mentally chuckled as he recalled the hellcat kunoichi.

While she wasn't the first female swordsman, she was the first to have taken the title without the death of the former wielder of Kiba. Raiga was strong but couldn't hold a candle to Ameyuri, not one bit. While he hadn't seen it himself, Yagura himself had obliterated the Heartless Pair, the battle barely lasted a minute when the Kage went full Biju on their asses when he _liberated_ them of their weapons. A Bijudama was on a different scale of overkill, if the rumors were anything to go by, and few could escape from its destruction. A well-placed one could effectively annihilate one of the Great Five without effort. Why none had done this before Zabuza didn't know. Part of him also didn't want to know either.

Had he been forced to work with one of his former colleagues he'd be fine. Oh, he'd still be pissed as hell, but fine. Kisame, however; rubbed him the wrong way. The man always seemed to have this look that made him feel like there was some ulterior motive going on. And the worst part was that he'd be unable to do anything about it. Kisame was easily the strongest of the remaining swordsmen, no question about it. His mastery over Samehada was noted as the very best out of all those who wielded it. Mangetsu could use all the swords, even the picky blade that was to his right, but even he didn't have the same level of mastery as Kisame did over the sentient blade.

"So what's the plan, Zabu?" he heard Kisame asked him, if he was honestly asking for his opinion for that matter.

"We assess and look for an opportunity," Zabuza stated. "They've got six Genin and two ninken, plus the two Jonin, plus a summon with em," the man had underestimated the situation last time and nearly died. He wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

"Really?" Kisame was intrigued, it had been a while since he fought a summon. "What kind?"

"Snakes," Zabuza said and noticed the look in Kisame's eyes shifted.

"Oh, Orochimaru's apprentice, eh? Interesting," the man grinned and unnerved Zabuza even more. The blue swordsman wasn't taking this all that seriously, and why would he. But a summon was still a big deal and nothing to take lightly. His comment also implied that the man knew, or did, the infamous rogue ninja of Konoha.

"I take it you met?"

Kisame shrugged and answered nonchalantly, "You could say we've crossed paths. Never got the chance to fight him though and test my mettle against his. Shame, really."

Zabuza didn't doubt the man would have lost at worst, and tie at best. Orochimaru was no master swordsman, an expert in the least, but the man was an experienced Kage level shinobi regardless. The man had been one of the few ninja still alive that had ended the lives of two previous Seven Swordsmen before the current generation came into being. This being before he went against the legendary Hanzo the Salamander. Orochimaru, any of the Sannin really, was not to be taken lightly. His mastery over the legendary Kusanagi no Tsurugi, a sword even the Seven admired for its capabilities, only served enhance his reputation.

"Zabuza-sama," Haku bowed, along with Mezu and Gozu, as the ninja presented themselves.

"What's the word?" the man asked his group.

"We've looked around and it appears that Hatake-san is training his Genin while Mitarashi-san is watching over the bridge builder with a ninken," the masked ninja reported.

"Where are the other Genin?" he asked upon noticing they were left out.

"No idea, boss. We looked around and found nothing," Gozu shook his head. The man was baffled at where three measly Genin could have disappeared.

"You got some qualified talent here, Zabu," Kisame snorted and watched as the Demon Brothers rose to the bait. Both knew they were outmatched but they were easily ruled by their emotions. Luckily they were also ruled by fear and a quick look from Zabuza made the two stand down.

"Now what?" Kisame asked once more.

"We look for those three Genin, is what," was Zabuza's answer. "We capture them, and the rest will be easy pickings."

"And attacking now when there's only one of them ain't?" Kisame cocked an eyebrow at the flawed logic. It would be easier and simpler to dispose of the lone ninja and old man while they were alone. Then it was only a matter of waiting for the other ninja to come to them. The swordsman's partner had explained how Konoha shinobi placed a great deal of emphasis on camaraderie, and, at times, their logic became overruled by their emotions. When that happened he'd enact his plan.

"Would you rather have em learn what happen, escape and then have us chased down like dogs when they report back to their village?" it wasn't as though he could stick around if they went into hiding in Nami either. Zabuza was sick and tired of having to deal with hunter-nin and bounty hunters looking for a score. Most he could handle but too often it had resulted in a failed mission due to their interference. The last thing he wanted was more shinobi going after them. Kisame was an S-Rank ninja and others would think twice about facing him. Zabuza was an A-Rank ninja and there were a few decent ninja out there that could match, even defeat him if they banded together.

"Whatever, this is your show, not mine. The short stack hired me to make sure you get the job done, I'm just the backup plan in case you fuck up again," he stated.

Zabuza, however; doubted it was as simple as the man made it sound. He trusted Kisame as much as he trusted Yagura. The man and his group would have to keep their guard up. "Then we split up and look for em. If we can't find the brats by noon we'll regroup here and attack the bridge then."

The group nodded but Kisame grinned at Zabuza's big mistake. With the group separated his mission just became easier for him.

* * *

 **(With Naruto's Group)**

"Pull me up!" Ino shouted as she rose from the water and avoided the snapping jaws of the large fish. Naruto immediately hoisted the girl up from the water with one hand and attacked with the other. The blow struck home but it wasn't enough to kill the enemy that made a swift retreat.

"Damn!" he muttered and knew the voracious **Piranha** would regroup and would attack them as soon as they went back in the water. The group had finally made it to the second floor, which pretty much tested their capacity as ninja. Unlike the other floor, this one was primarily covered with water and it required, more like forced the group, to fight underwater.

The upside was the fish were easy pickings for Ino and Hinata's techniques. Hinata's control allowed her to improve and spear or skewer the underwater fish they faced. Ino on the other hand merely used her Raiton techniques to fry the little shits into twitching messes. Once they were out of the water of course. Getting electrocuted by one's own technique was just plain stupid.

That was the upside, the downside was the fact that they were often forced underwater and it pushed them lung capacity and skill their limits. Underwater their movement was restricted and their strength and speed several downsized. Whenever they reached land they took the chance to recuperate and allow themselves to heal. The group had gotten more than their fair share of injuries and close calls because of the quick enemies the floor held.

"How much further," Ino huffed and was really pissed with the floor they were on. The **Mimic King** boss they had faced hadn't been as unknowing as these fish. The lumbering eight-foot skeletal chest hadn't been an easy fight, the damn thing could shoot cannonballs at them, but at least they were on even footing.

"Don't know," Naruto's answer earned himself a loud and frustrated groan from Ino. The blonde Yamanaka really hated their current predicament. "Look, bitching and moaning isn't help us, Ino."

"We've been at this for nearly a day, you idiot!" Ino shouted, "How the hell do we know this route won't lead to another dead end?"

"We don't!" Naruto scowled at his teammate, getting annoyed by her constant complaining. He too was pissed and frustrated. On the first floor he could use Shadow Clones to scout ahead, here not so much before they were overwhelmed by their foes. In this dungeon, it was a matter of brain over brawn, and being quick as hell, too. Their skill in **Underwater Combat,** and **Swimming** had increased and allowed them to fight better and longer but even then the combat in this dungeon was not easy. The fact that much like the first floor this one also had dead ends made their trip frustrating. The enemies here weren't all that tough but they were numerous, quick to hit and dodge and respawned much more quickly than any other they had faced so far. Even a powerful character could be taken down by small hits if it kept adding up.

Sighing and taking a deep breath, Naruto calmed himself, "Look, I'm just as pissed as you," he ignored her humph, "but like it or not we got no choice but to keep going, Ino."

Said girl did nothing but continue to scowl. She didn't like it; not one little bit, but understood. The girl was just sick and tired of their current dungeon. But she was also worried about everyone outside the dungeon. They had been in here for over two days now. Ino didn't know what was happening outside the dungeon but she was worried. The girl had the impression something was gonna happen soon and it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Hinata, how far do we have to go?" Ino asked her fellow kunoichi.

"I don't know, I'd have to talk a look, Ino-chan," Hinata said as she healed herself of her injuries. The girl wasn't all that thrilled in jumping back in but knew they didn't really have that much of a choice. Even then her focus would be broken if she was attacked and they'd be back to square one. "Plan B?"

"Plan B," Naruto nodded to her, making Ino sigh. Naruto jumped in ahead, followed by Hinata, while Ino stayed behind. As soon as they did were they attacked by a school of carnivorous fish. Luckily the **Piranha** weren't too big, only the size of a small teacup pig, but size mattered little when it came to their numbers.

Already was Naruto bitten and swarmed by the little shits. The ninja used two kunai rather than his sword or kanabo and coated them in his chakra. The boy slashed, stabbed, and kicked as best he could. His primary weapons were too large and too much resistance occurred in the water for him to use them properly. His sword was better as it was slimmer and less bulky than his kanabo but his kunai were the better choice for underwater combat.

Even then hitting them was not that simple, or easy for that matter. Fish in general, were swift little buggers, and grabbing them wasn't that easy as their fins were pretty damn sharp. But Naruto was persistence and with Hinata's Suiton ninjutsu things were made a little easier.

Left and right, up and down, Naruto slashed and blocked rows of teeth that threatened to bite him. Hinata using her clan's Gentle Fish, turned her arms into makeshift spears as they lunged and struck at her foes. Other times she would use the **Water Dragon Whip** or **Water Needle Technique** to strike her foes or have it surround her in a makeshift barrier that shield her from harm.

For three whole minutes did this continue before their lungs begin to cry out for oxygen. Both swam upwards and gasp as they breached the surface. But their plan worked as Naruto, despite wincing, grabbed one of the **Piranhas** and tossed on land. The fish were smart and had to be tricked or coaxed to go near the surface. And since Naruto didn't wish to forgo any of his meat, and that they needed to get rid of some of them anyway, it was the best option.

Quickly jumping on land, Naruto and Hinata held down the flopping fish while Ino used her clan's technique to take over its body. As Ino's body slumped over, Hinata quickly threw the fish back into the water and watched it swim away. The feeling of taking over the fish's body was easily the oddest sensation Ino had ever known. Unlike the other creatures in the past, this one had no maneuverable limbs such as legs or arms. Breathing underwater was also foreign to her. Even when taking over a body the new senses and instincts still took some getting used to depending on what was taken over.

The possessed **Piranha** swam as far as the Yamanaka could manage. Her chakra wasn't full at the moment and she would need as much of it as possible when they encountered the boss. One of the technique's downsides was that the further she went from her body meant the more chakra she spent maintaining her technique. It was one of the reasons why Yamanaka traveled in pairs as their moving partners allowed them to lengthen the use of the technique. As she swam further down, Ino spotted an opening and swam through. The area was large, wide, and had an opening above that led to the surface.

It was also guarded by an enormous fish that swallowed the piranha whole. The creature was very quick and the Yamanaka barely had time to release her hold before the Piranha was soon in the belly of the beast.

"Whoa fuck!" Ino jerked and her breathing became erratic and frightening, as though she was being deprived of oxygen before being allowed to breathe. It was easy to see the girl was scared out of her wits end. While they could view the world like a video game so long as they were a part of the team Naruto was the only one that really benefited from the **Gamer's Mind Skill.**

"What happened?" Naruto asked but Ino continued to shake and the boy cursed. Whatever happened was obviously not something Ino wasn't going to be talking about soon. Whatever she encountered was obviously dangerous.

"What the he-" Naruto muttered as his **Detect Skill** flared up and below he saw a very large shadow swim by.

" **Observe!** "

* * *

 **Boss: Ancient Fish of the Primordial Sea – Gansai Lv. 31**

 **HP: 4500**

 **CP: 250**

 **STR: 165**

 **VIT: 100**

 **DEX: 66**

 **INT: 10**

 **WIS: 9**

 **LUK: 31**

 **Defense: 165**

 **Elemental Affinity: Water**

 **Perks:**

 **Dense Phycology:** +50% increase on Physical Attacks, +50% Effectiveness towards Defense, +25% tolerance towards Critical Strikes, -35% effectiveness towards Movement in and out of combat

 **Master (Creature) of the Seas** : No penalties from underwater combat, -100% Combat Effectiveness outside of water, Will not be attacked by water based creatures with lower level, -50% Stats and Effectiveness towards all Skills if on land

 **Deadly Header:** +150% increase towards Bite Attacks, +150% increase towards Head Attacks, +85% Resistance towards Unconsciousness and Daze Status Effect caused by physical means

 **Description:** The Dunkleosteus is a thought to be extinct fish believed to have lived millions of years ago. Apparently this one didn't get the memo. Much like its ancestors this predator is larger than even the dreaded great white and easily on top of the food chain. Millions of years of evolution have only made this creature larger and more deadly and its infamous bony plates make it even more terrifying. However, much likes its slow ancestors this creature is only capable of swimming quickly in short bursts, but even then it's an improvement and now possesses the ability to create a vacuum that draws in prey before it's too late. Its infamous maw, now outfitted with a series of bony dagger-like teeth, is capable of crushing boulders with little effort and can slice a man in half.

 **EXP Earned: ? EXP**

 **Drops: ?, ?, ?**

* * *

"Oh, fuck me," Naruto cursed as the situation worsened. On the plus side, the damn thing would attack both his team and the enemies they faced without bias. On the other hand, it was very strong and the exit was quite a ways off. Not enough that they couldn't make it, but enough that **Gansai** could catch up to them and turn them into chum.

"You're telling me," a still shaken up but calmer Ino laughed mirthlessly. Almost getting eaten would do that to a person. But Ino knew they had no choice but to go back in. Even with the creature standing between them and their potential exit from this place.

Exploding Shadow Clones were an option, but Naruto feared a cave like last time. It had gotten rid of a large amount of enemies but the underground passage had gotten blocked and they were forced to continue on. They barely reached an air pocket in time because of it. All they could do now as wait and think it through. They came in together, and Naruto was sure as hell going to make sure they left together as well.

* * *

 **(Meanwhile)**

"Anko, how're things?" Kakashi, followed by his team, asked the woman but received a dramatic groan that resonated with utter boredom. "Nice to see you having fun."

"Go fuck yourself, Hatake!" the woman flipped him off ever so eloquently. The Genin really wondering how such a woman held the rank of Jonin. Then again they also wondered the same about their own mentor. "How are the brats?"

"Doing fine," he smiled and she resisted the urge to hit him. What was it about that eye smile of his that made others swoon, but made her want to sock him one? At least the man was now teaching his own students, not like she gave him a choice.

"I'll bet," she muttered by their slightly ragged appearance that they had gotten a decent workout. "Anyway, the old farts here are almost done for the morning so we can-"

Both Jonin immediately halted their banter and got into battle ready position as a mist began to form on the bridge. Both knew that a natural occurring mist did not form this quickly. "Everyone off the bridge now!" Kakashi ordered.

"You heard the man! Move your asses!" Anko barked out and the men made a run for it. "Not you, old man!" she had Tazuna stay behind, "You're the one these assholes are after. Brats, guard him! You too, mutts!"

Tazuna was soon surrounding by three Genin and two ninken. The five guarding the man in a basic but improvised Manji formation with the addition of the ninken. The man could not help but release a cold bead of sweat as the mist grew denser and his visibility diminish considerably.

"Well, well," a voice from the mist drew their attention, "Here we are again," Zabuza chuckled as he appeared from his village's famed cover. "I'll give you tree huggers one last chance only. Hand over the old man and no one has to die," he informed them. "Besides, it looks like one of your brats is shaking with fear."

"I'm shaking, but with excitement," Sasuke countered even if it was a half-truth. He was excited to see how he would fair this time, but even he could not deny the fact either he or his teammates would be capable of fighting at one hundred percent. They had just come off training after all and did not have time to eat anything to replenish their strength.

"You'll be shaking with fear in a moment, kid," another voice called out and to the two Jonins looked out in horror and deep concern they spotted someone they were not expecting. "Surprised?"

"Ah, what the fuck! There's two of you now?" a pissed and worried as hell Anko shouted.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, ignorant as her teammates were to the woman's outburst. The man didn't answer though and choice to bring up his forehead protector to release the Sharingan. Kakashi knew their chances of survival were very low at the moment.

"He's strong," a shaken up Kiba stuttered. His ninken Akamaru along with Hottomaru were both shaking like leaves in the wind. The two ninken could use their sense of smell to determine the strength of their opponents or prey and since both were scared and looked ready to piss themselves it meant this man was powerful and someone they couldn't mess with.

"As soon as you get the chance, I want all six of you to get out of here and hide!" the man ordered them. Against Zabuza they stood a chance, and got lucky last time, against both of these two it was another story. Even with them fleeing there was no guarantee they'd live either. Even then the chances were higher than if they stayed on the bridge.

"Who is that?" Sasuke asked. His shaking now turned into fear rather than excitement. Whoever the man was greatly unnerved the Uchiha. It was similar to when they first encountered Zabuza, but it was much worse in this case.

"Hoshigaki Kisame, formelyof the Seven Swordsmen, and S-Rank nuke-nin at your service," the man bowed and the Genin all paled considerably as their minds processed the information. They all knew about the ninja ranking system, one would have to be pretty dumb or ignorant not to. And they all knew that an S-Rank ninja was borderline Kage or an actual Kage level individual.

"Oh, we're so boned," Kiba voiced his opinion, serving to only demoralize the group further. Anko wanted to slap the kid silly but it was the truth really. They were boned.

"So how do you wanna play this out," Anko asked her fellow Jonin.

"I'll handle Kisame. Think you can handle Zabuza?" he asked back.

" _Probably not,_ " was her thoughts, but, instead she said, "Bring him on," her voice filled with false bravado. Anko would have to bring out all the stops if she was to survive this. She was easily in for the fight of her life. With Zabuza her chances of winning were low, surviving against him was a higher probability. Against Kisame she knew she was fucked.

"Enough talk already!" Kisame shouted and appeared before the two Jonin with his fabled blade held high. Both scattered just as the sword struck the bridge and caused it to buckle underneath the powerful blow. Wanting a challenge, Kisame chased after Kakashi and left Anko to his colleague.

"You and that worm of yours are gonna pay for what you did," the man growled and Anko was slightly unnerved by the threat. Midori; however, made herself known and hissed angrily at the man for being called a lowly worm. Anko scowled at the insult, too. But otherwise, the woman merely took out two kunai and had Midori coat them in her venom. The man soon disappeared into the mist and the only sound she heard was that of Kakashi and Kisame's own fight.

"Eight spots. Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart. Now, which will be my attack points?" he called out from the mist, potent killing intent being released all the while. Anko; however, shook and began to breathe heavily as the seconds rolled by.

"How about heart!" Zabuza suddenly appeared behind her and stabbed his sword through her back and heart. The man's chuckle soon seized as Anko was replaced with a decent slab of stone.

Zabuza; however, sensed a distortion in the mist before a streak of sickly yellow struck out at him. The man jumped away and blocked with his sword as the yellow whip continued to smack against his blade but his eyes widened as he saw the bridge areas begin to sizzle and melt. "Acid?" he wondered before he realized his own sword had been used to block the technique and promptly made a hasty retreat. The Decapitating Carving Knife was a sturdy weapon but even then it was not indestructible, the acidic technique leaving decent sized gashes down the middle and dulling parts of the edges. Its ability to regenerate and restore its edge and form was highly coveted due to the instantaneous repairs but it required a decent amount of blood needed to fix it if more than half of it was gone. Even with the Jonin and Genin here it would barely be enough if it kept on getting this badly injured.

As he looked at his blade and the damages done to it, Zabuza's mind became clouded with dark thoughts that would make others tremble with fear, "Your gonna pay for that Snake Whore!" he bellowed in anger, the man gaining the faint outline of an oni behind his form.

But all he got in return was a series of kunai laced with exploding tags. Zabuza jumped backwards and blocked the shrapnel with his blade, his anger never once going down but his oppressive aura vanished.

"Please, if you think your little parlor trick will scare me think again, dumbass. I was taught by a sick, twisted motherfucker whose chakra was on a different scale of scary. Your killing intent and chakra don't even come close to his," Anko mocked and served to only make Zabuza angrier. Though the tactic was known for making others lose their focus and become uncoordinated in their attacks the savageness of all also made their blows stronger.

 **A special skill has been created by a spec-**

" _Lousy timing!_ " the snake charmer shouted at the pop-up screen. The woman needed to concentrate at the moment and could not afford any distractions. "Come on, short stuff! Bring it!"

"Short stuff?" the comment only befuddled the swordsman rather than make him angry.

"Well, you have a big ass sword that I assume you're using to compensate… big time," she elaborated.

"Hey! That's my line!" Kisame shouted from the mist.

" _I'm gonna fucking kill both of you,_ " the man fumed and rushed with his sword skyward. The large, heavy weapon crashing on the woman's location, who dodged and sent a myriad of snakes towards the man. Zabuza, though, was quick and sliced the head off the snakes with a kunai. The man had no intention of being poisoned by a serpent anytime soon.

" **Ninpo: Dokugiri** (Ninja Art: Poison Mist)!" Anko spewed forth a cloud of purple that rushed towards the man. The man getting caught in the deadly mist of poisonous air born chemicals and making him caught and gasp desperately. When he could no longer take it Zabuza fell to the floor where his body made a resounding splash.

" _Shit! A clone!_ " she cursed and began to look for any signs of the man.

" **Look out!"** Midori shouted as a large spinning blade threatened to bifurcate the woman in two suddenly appeared. The Snake Mistress barely had time to duck and roll down as the blade embedded itself on the stone floor. So distracted was she that she did not sense the man's presence as he held a kunai at her throat.

Before he sliced it open, though, did the man feel tell-tale sign of a kunai point on his stomach; A trail of purple appearing on him as he eyed the small but deadly weapon. Zabuza knew there were only two options available: slice her throat quickly enough to avoid being stabbed, or slice her throat and be stabbed and killed by the poison. Oddly enough, the man chose the latter option.

Both shinobi gasped and gurgled before falling to the ground and falling apart; Anko in a puddle of earth, Zabuza into a puddle of water. Both clones had served their purpose, and the fight between the two of them continued.

While Zabuza and Anko fought their battle, Kakashi and Kisame waged their own. The Sharingan wielding man kept his guard up against the superior opponent. The former Anbu captain had faced a few S-Rank ninja during his tenure in the shadows, but most of them had been S-Rank merely due to him the crimes they commented or the information they possessed or stole rather than skill. Kisame was all three wrapped in one; he was powerful, possessed a treasured tool of Kiri, and was a criminal.

The man could not afford any mistakes here and risk leaving everyone at the man's mercy. The problem was that Kakashi was severely out of practice at the moment. The lack of seriously dangerous missions over the years when he left the Anbu had dulled his skills and reduced his stamina. His laid back attitude had come to bite him in the ass.

"Gotta say, I'm kinda disappointed, really," the man heard Kisame's voice. "When I thought about going face to face against the infamous Sharingan no Kakashi I expected… more. A challenge actually," he tried to find the right word. In his mind the fight was pathetic and sad. Kisame was barely breaking a sweat, though the mist might have been a reason for it, too.

Kakashi didn't rise to the bait like the anger-prone Zabuza. The man knew a trick when he saw one. He had used the same methods countless times before on others in the past. "All, right, I'm bored."

All Kakashi heard was loud sloshing sound before missiles of water in the form of sharks sped towards him. The ferocious looking water animations tore into the ground where he once stood before he was forced to dodge once more as another projectile made its way towards him. And then another, and another, and another.

The parade of sharks did not seem to stop and Kakashi knew the man was toying with him. Like a predator playing with its food. Knowing he couldn't not keep dodge forever, Kakashi blurred through some hand seals and called forth a wall of earth on all sides of him. The water sharks striking home, making it buckle and a few nice dents, but did nothing more than that.

Kisame though took the opportunity to get in close and smashed down the walls of earth with Samehada; the man making the act like a mundane task. The earth fell apart around them as Kisame hacked and slashed at the wall, and the ground near it. But in the midst of it all, Kisame noticed the lack of blood and stopped.

Kisame also noticed the sizzling of paper and jumped away just as the fallen earth exploded. The concussive force was impressive and the improvised shrapnel from the destroyed walls forced Kisame to block with his trusty weapon. "Heh, guess he'll give me a challenge after all."

If anything, Kisame loved a challenge.

 **(With Team Seven)**

"Damn it," Kiba growled as they left the hot zone. Fleeing was not the way of the Inuzuka but even he had to acknowledge they were outmatched and outgunned. The feral boy saw the look on Sasuke's face and could tell even he was upset with their retreat.

Upon the battle commencing, Team Seven followed the Jonin's orders and hightailed it out of the bridge. All of them knew that they would not last long and would only serve to be a hindrance if they faced off against an A-Rank and S-Rank ninja. Though Kiba and Sasuke wished to fight, both knew only a fool or an ignorant moron would face against superior opponents.

The fact that they had just finished training, and weren't exactly at one hundred percent, played a defining factor as well. They'd be lucky to last even a minute against the missing ninja. During their brief time with Anko the woman told them that being a ninja meant playing it smart and choosing one's battles, even if their heart said otherwise.

At the very least they would assure that Tazuna was out of harms way. The man was the target and they would make sure no harm came to him or his family. But they still felt like their contribution wasn't as great as it should be. Kiba and Sasuke wanted to fight.

Their wish was granted, however, as a flurry of ice needles crashed upon the ground in front of them. With their retreat halted, all five members of Konoha got into a battle ready stance. "You won't be going any further," a masked ninja stated before them. "None of you need to die. Zabuza-sama only wishes to have the bridge builder. Hand him over, and you have my word you will leave here alive."

"Hmm, let me think about it. Fuck that!" Kiba had no intention of giving up so easily before a fight even began. Sasuke neither and both males looked itching to prove themselves. Kiba tossed Akamaru a pill that caused the young ninken's fur to be as red as his name before he transformed into an exact duplicate of his human partner. Both transformed ninken and ninja soon gained a more feral looking appearance, hunched over like a predator stalking its prey and their hands becoming more claw-like and wicked.

"Sakura, we'll leave Tazuna to you!" Sasuke was all he said as he and his Inuzuka teammate charged in. Both males weren't at one hundred percent, but there was three of them and only one of him or her.

" **Gatsuga** (Fang Passing Fang)!" Kiba and Akamaru dual-teamed the ninja with twin drill in order to skewer the ninja. Remarkably the individual managed to avoid the technique with perfect timing and evasive maneuvers.

Sakura was worried. Kiba was one of the fastest Genin in the class, even more so when he used his clan's Four Legs Technique combined with the Passing Fang. For the ninja before them to dodge them so easily meant they were experienced and even faster than the Inuzuka.

"Stand still, damn it!" the frustrated Kiba's shout was reminiscent of a loud growl.

" **Suiton: Teppodama** (Water Release: Gunshot)!" Haku suddenly declared and used the water below them to compress and shoot off a large glob of water. Normally it was compressed inwardly in the body but experimentation had allowed Haku to do so otherwise. The condensed liquid impacted with the two feral ninja and sent them rolling. Both weren't out for the count, but they were momentarily dazed.

" **Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suisho** (Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death)!" Haku suddenly declared, Sakura noting the ninja using only one-handed hand seals. An enormous amount of water took on the form of thin needles before shooting towards Kiba and Akamaru. The Inuzuka Clan heir and his ninken both performed the **Gatsuga** upwards where the mass of needles wasn't as numerous.

While they evaded what was assuredly a painful death, both had received a few decent cuts in the process. Nothing life threating or anything that take them out of the fight, but Kiba knew they needed to be careful. This was no ordinary ninja. Their fighting style was reminiscent of those of Kiri's **Hunter Ninja** , who in term was based off of his clan's **Alpha Division.** An elite task force that was known for having precise attacks and techniques focusedon killing or incapacitating others with as few moves and wasted energy as possible both quickly and quietly. While similar, and impressive, it was evident it wasn't the real deal, otherwise Kiba knew they'd be out for the count already.

" **Katon: Gokakyu no Justu** (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!" a voice from the mist shouted and a large fireball crashed unto the location of the Kiri ninja. But the masked ninja was very nimble and quick to evade. The technique was fast and lethal, but Haku was quicker. Though even Haku knew it was only a matter of time before the two Konoha ninja found an opening to exploit.

" _Gozu, Meizu, where are you two?_ "Haku could really use the help of the Demon Brothers right about now. The masked ward of the Demon of the Mist could handle the fight, but it was three against one and Haku didn't wish to resort to _that move_ unless given no other option. Zabuza had been furious when the two didn't show up when they were supposed to regroup. Most likely they got into some trouble that was holding them up but even then they couldn't fiddle around waiting for the two brothers.

The masked ninja was going to have to fight solo for the next little while.

* * *

 **(Meanwhile)**

"Hurry up!" Naruto gurgled underwater. The ninja's muscles were straining quickly and he didn't know how much longer he could hold the jaws of death at bay. Literally! Here he was in the mouth of the beast itself and preventing it from closing shut on him with everything he got. The muscle power it had in its jaws were incredible, add that it got a boost in biting techniques and Naruto's stats were only at 60% while underwater meant he wouldn't last much longer.

Hinata and Ino both same as quickly as they could towards the large air pocket, ignoring the attacks from the small group of fish as best they could or batting them away to prevent too much health loss.

Their eyes widened as they heard a loud crunch and knew they needed to swim faster and further away from the beast. Their muscles strained and they gritted the pain they felt from the school of Piranhas. As they subconsciously crossed their arms in front of them did both gritted their teeth in pain and felt the air being pushed out of their lungs as something suddenly slammed into them. They were still alive they realized, though now low on HP, and all their body part weren't severed. To their astonishment, they even saw the lack of **Piranhas** as well and they were at the edge of the lake caverns entrance.

Gansai, however, was still making its way towards them still and both Ino and Hinata wasted no time by getting out of the water and water walking all the way to dry land as quickly as possible. The giant fish was so easily deterred though and soared out of the water after its prey. Its heavy body crashing loudly at the edge of the ring of land that separated it from its next meal, snapping its massive deadly jaws at the two kunoichi all the while.

Though frightened by the ravenous beast before them, the two kunoichi of Konoha fought back with everything they could. Both split off in opposite directions to confuse it and give themselves some distance. Hinata struck out with precise strikes of Suiton while Ino kept it immobile with her Lighting Release: Dissonance Pulse Technique.

The large fish retaliated by sending a jet of compressed water in a horizontal pattern at the two that tore into the rock like a hot knife on warm butter. With her greater speed, Ino managed to get to cover on time. Hinata wasn't as fortunate and while she injury only nicked her the force behind it sent her flying through the air and crash hard into the wall. Her HP very low at the moment and making Ino lose concentration of her technique and ultimately freeing the beast.

"Shit!" Ino cursed and appeared next to her teammate in a burst of speed, a green pulse on her hands that steadily began to heal the Hyuga and draw her away from the red zone. Even then it wouldn't be much as both she and Hinata were on the verge of exhaustion "Hang in there, Hinata."

Suddenly their attention was drawn out to the water as the large form of Gansai soared through the air once more. The beast was intent on killing its difficult meal once and for all. Though momentarily frightened both kunoichi didn't look the least bit worried.

" **Shinigami Kagekoku** (Death God's Shadow Strike)!" Naruto's form rose out from the water and struck the air born fish downwards. Not on the head thought where it was heavily protected, but on the spine where its plates were less dense and more vulnerable. A loud crunch was heard but the now stranded boss wasn't out for the count quite just yet despite falling short from its two preys.

" **Geki Rekkō** (Raging Light Fangs)!"

Needles of light soon began pelting the water creature's form at incredible speed. Both Ino and Hinata using what ounce of strength they could to lend an aid to their teammate in finally ridding them of the primordial predator. To prevent it from retreating back into the water Naruto created a large amount of clones that all held on tight wherever they could. Some of the clones even began bashing the creature with their kanabo as hard as they could and never once letting up their assault even as Ino and Hinata were forced to halt their own as exhaustion took them.

Gansai struggled and flailed as it suddenly realized the danger it was in. The large creature knew it needed to get back into the water and make a tactical retreat. It smacked two clones out of existence with its large fins, allowing it better leverage in its endeavour and brought its head back and tossed the original skyward. Not know it had just sealed its own doom.

"Heads up!" a shout from above rang and many pairs of eyes widened before Ino and Hinata ducked for cover. Gansai was going nowhere though and continued to struggle till the very end before its fate was sealed. A large crash echoed in the cavern that was soon followed up by the sound of flesh being rendered apart.

 **A massive critical blow has been dealt!**

Ignoring the ping of the pop up, Ino and Hinata noticed that all the clones were gone, a puff of smoke signalling their destruction, while Gansai was still firmly in place on the ground and its eyes comically having X's in them. It was easy to see why as well.

A large stone stalactite was skewering its back and dug deep into the ground, the damage caused by it had dealt a massive blow to the creature and ultimately ending its existence. That is, at least until they returned to the dungeon some time later of course.

"Bwhaahhh!" Naruto gasped and sputtered the water out of his mouth as he rose to the surface. "Woo hoo, yeah! Take that fish breath! No one tries to eat Uzumaki Naruto damn it!"

"Oh, kami, that was horrible," Ino finally let her exhaustion take over and let herself fall to the ground. Hinata soon followed the blonde and both wanted nothing more than to rest their hearts out. Both had earned it in their minds.

Swimming to shore, Naruto came onto into dry land next to his teammates, "Hey, thanks for letting me borrow your necklace, Hinata," though he had to use a Henge to transform into his female alter ego to even use it, Naruto was glad its ability to erase his presence worked for him in disguise nonetheless. The Hyuga thanked her teammate for the return of her necklace and resumed her break. "What with you guys?"

"Sometimes I forget you're a stamina freak," Ino huffed and was envious of the boy's endurance during combat. Anko was right when she said it would work well for him in the future, and Ino had no doubts the woman would be trying to work up hers and Hinata's. "We're bushed. Give us a minute."

"Or ten, please," Hinata added.

Though they needed to continue on, Naruto supposed a quick break wasn't that tall an order. Browsing through his inventory, Naruto took out some food and passed them to his teammates, "Eat up. It'll restore your energy, HP, and a bit of chakra."

Both appreciated the gesture and began to dig into the food while Naruto inspected the loot they now received, "Ok, what do we got here."

* * *

 **Manju Mimikazari** (Tide Flowing Jewel Earning) **– Rare Quality**

 **Paired Ear Accessory**

 **Durability: 65/65**

 **Description:** **Legends speak of ancient times where deities gave selective humans the power to control the oceans themselves. With such items humans were able to fish more successful and calm raging storms that threatened to destroy their village. All this in the form of simple ocean blue jewels known as the Manju** (Tide Flowing Jewel) **and the Kanju** (Tide Ebbing Jewel). **Though used in pairs even separately they hold a great deal of power. Legends say the kanju makes the water recede, allowing one to hold harsh waters at bay, and the ability to cause droughts, while the manju possesses the ability to cause floods, monsoons, and bring forth storm water. Though others theorized they were merely tools that greatly amplified one's affinity for water.**

 **Bonus Stats:**

 ***Increases Effectiveness and Power of Suiton and Water related skills by 25%**

 ***Decreases chakra required for Suiton and Water related skills by 25%.**

 ***Greatly increases bonus stats when paired with the Kanju Mimikazari** (Tide Ebbing Jewel Earring).

 **Requirements:**

 **Primary affinity must be water or have Expert Mastery of Water Affinity in order to use.**

* * *

 **Medium Beast Soul Gem (Epic Quality)**

 **Status Effect: Enhancement Item**

 **Permanently Grants: Instant Level Up, +5 Skill Points, +10 STR, +10 STM, Grants one the ability to use Jao no Kuchi (Maw of the Tyrant King) Skill.**

* * *

 **Small Treasure Chest**

 **Description:** **A common piece of equipment that pirates of old used before they learned the value of sealing their treasure into scrolls. What lies inside is a mystery and without the key will need to be unlocked via skilled hands.**

 **Requires Level 25 Basic Lock Picking Skill to be Unlocked!**

* * *

"Ah, figures," Naruto knew it wouldn't be that simple. "On the plus side, I can always ask Anko how to do it," he could also ask the woman to unlock it herself but knew she'd be asking for a cut of whatever was inside. Better he learn it himself, there'd come a time where he'd probably need to use it, too, rather than knock the door down with his strength. Sometimes the more subtle approach needed to occur that the guns blazing one.

All and all, it was a decent haul. Not great, but not bad either. The minor stuff like the **Dense** **Bone Plates** he got would make for good armour pieces, though the added weight of them would be a bit of a downside in terms of reduced speed. While Naruto would take the chest - he deserved something from all this! - it looked like Hinata and Hottomaru would benefit from the loot instead with the **Jao no Kuchi** being a biting skill. Naruto wasn't one for being the conventional ninja compared to others, but even he knew would have been weird for a human to know such a technique.

" _Lucky mutt,_ " Naruto didn't see the fairness in it all really. The dog didn't even do anything to help them in all this for crying out loud! Giving Hinata the earrings and the basic rundown on what they granted her, much to Ino's chagrin for such a useful item, Naruto decided to heal himself up as well before they continued onwards with their mission.

Entering the next cave, the group was happy to note that there were no monsters, and were greeted with the sight of a large vibrant lake brimming with a multitude of fish of different species and sizes. Many of them jumped and splashed out of the water and Naruto thought a few looked quite tasty.

"What do you think, guys. Should we take a few for ourselves?" it was clear there was more than enough for Nami. Taking a few dozen fish they'd otherwise be unable to get elsewhere didn't sound so bad. Though first they'd need to catch them. "Anyone bring a net?"

The boy was greeted with silence and he knew the answer. "Alright, then. The old fashion way it is," and he knew it would take a while.

* * *

 **(On the Bridge)**

"Not so cocky now are ya, Snake Bitch!" Zabuza laughed and Anko scowled. The woman was covered in sweat, tired, and had a few bad scrapes and cuts on her person. Zabuza had a few as well but nowhere as badly, he venom on the blades not affecting him thanks to Haku's antitode. Midori was out for the count at the moment when the man had suddenly changed tactics and went after the Genin and Tazuna. Midori had gone after him and though quicker than the man her size had been used against her. A trap had been set up and both Midori and Anko fell for it.

The man had tossed the Kubikiribocho like an oversized fuma shuriken and had given the serpent a few nasty wounds as a result. To make matters worse she soon received the full brunt from a Great Waterfall Technique to the head. It was evident the man had prepared and with the condition she was in, Midori was out for the count. From then on, it all went to shit. Zabuza had more experience and was part of an elite squad since he was a teenager, which meant more techniques, more strategies, more of everything that Anko currently lacked. As of now it was evident the man was toying with her as an act of revenge for last time.

Her thoughts on what to do next were pushed aside as she felt the air grow colder than any mist could bring forth. Anko's breath was visible in the air and the woman could see a few snowflakes of all things falling down from the sky.

"Hmm, looks like Haku's using one of Yuki Clan's aces in the hole," the man didn't say it but he was impressed they pushed his ward this far to use the Yuki Clan's **Makyo Hyoso** (Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors) of all things. "Now it's only a matter of minutes before they die. No one's ever escaped that technique. No one," it was a lie really but the woman before him didn't need to know that.

Anko bit back a retort, no matter how much she wanted to let her anger loose, " _God damn it, Anko, you're not going out like a chump. You were taught by one of the most gifted assholes Konoha ever had for kami's sake!_ "

The last thought made her fall short and Anko had a horrible idea that might just work. Calling up her inventory screen, Anko grabbed something, uncorked it and downed the vile contents of the liquid and then tossed the empty vial into off the side of the bridge.

Zabuza frowned as the act of pulling something out from seemingly nowhere. It was then that he felt it. A surge of power that was bubbling to the surface and growing viler and stronger as time passed by, " _The hell?_ " Zabuza thought.

His eyes widened as he saw dark, pulsing marks spread across her body in a flame-like pattern. The woman's eyes took on a serpentine shade of yellow and developed slits in them. Her hands became claw-like in a manner similar to an Inuzuka's, her muscles pulsed, her canines slightly more pronounced and her tongue developed a fork in it. His immediate thought was that she was becoming a humanoid serpent but more accurately she was a human with serpent-like characteristics. "What's going on?"

Anko didn't bother to answer the man. Instead, she appeared before Zabuza in a burst of speed and slashed at the man with her claws. Zabuza was unprepared for the newfound speed and cried out as he felt the deep marks rip into him. The man was also unprepared when he felt the blow to his face that temporarily blackened his vision and send him tumbling away. " _What the fuck's going on?! Where's she getting this power from?!"_

The look of confusion and daze Anko saw made her grin as she felt the intoxicating power flow freely through her veins. It was as though shackles that held her down had been lifted after a very long time. All of it being thanks to the concoction Naruto had stolen from Mizuki and given to her for private observation. And now, thanks to it all, her strength was increased.

No. Not back, the potential and strength she should have had before the seal was placed on her was back. Even then she knew the seal was playing its role and enhancing her skills even more so. She swore she'd never us it, to never rely on the curse given to her master. But plans and times changed.

 **A special skill has been created by a special act!**

 **Sealed Cursed Seal of Heaven has been unlocked!**

 **Cursed Seal of Heaven Level One Skill has been created!**

Ignoring the pop-up, Anko looked at Zabuza and said, " **Remind me, what was it the little demon called me?** " the woman mocked, her serpentine tongue licking at the blood in her hands, and for the second time this week since he met Kisame, Zabuza felt fear. The man was about to learn a very important lesson.

Don't fuck with Mitarashi Anko!

Ever!

* * *

 **Here it is guys. It would have been much longer but it was best that I cut it off here. Otherwise, you'd be reading for well over half an hour. Ps. I am aware of the spelling mistakes, I am in a difficult zone for internet and will be making the corrections as soon as I can.**

 **Sorry for the lateness of it all. As a wise, awesome, but insane man once said, "Life is an endless series of train-wrecks with only brief commercial like breaks of happiness but it was time to return to the regularly scheduled program." That's pretty much what my life's been for the last little while. Full-time job, part-time distance education for bachelor in business and certificate in OHS, and doing stuff around the house has pretty much been taken over my life. Luckily the majority of that stuff is over until the Fall of 2016.**

 **Anyway, reviews tons please and thank you and the next chapter that's over 15,000 words will be out next Saturday, maybe even Friday. Don't forget to check out my polls and reboot on Embodiment of the Curse of Hatred and Will of Fire. Not gonna be focusing as much attention there but it's a good side project while I get my Harry Potter/Gamer thing rolling. Tell ya what, review generously, as I'd like to reach to the 3000 mark by Friday, and I'll post the next chapter then.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: Total Overkill**

Tracking down the woman that called herself Asagao proved easy compared to the other times they tried locating her. All three were on opposite side of the village near the forest when they came across her. All of them thought it to be too much of a coincidence but knew time was short to start investigating.

"So you managed to do it. Color me impressed, Handsome," Hinata inwardly frowned at the compliment given to her crush but otherwise didn't show it. Asagao would be lying if she said she wasn't surprised by the turn of events. Part of her honestly thought they would have failed in their endeavors.

"You ask us to deliver, we deliver," Naruto simply stated before he followed up with, "Now are you gonna tell us where Gato is?"

"A deal's a deal, Handsome," the woman stated.

The Genin of Team Eight blinked at how easily she agreed. All three were convinced she would backstab them or make a power play of some sort to get out of the deal. Usually it was how these sorts of things went. "You're all thinking, "That's it? She's not gonna try and take us out?" aren't you," the silence and blush was all she needed to know. "Kids these days watch too many cliché movies."

"That aside," inwardly Ino agreed on the cliché movie spiel, "where's Gato?"

The woman merely pointed behind them and into the woods, "Follow the river deep in the forest and you'll come across his hideout. You can't really see it from here due to the trees and cover on top but Gato can see almost everything from the top floor," the woman wasn't going to bother explaining how she knew all this. "You better hurry, too. I heard he's getting restless and readying his thugs. Me and the girls will make sure the villagers get this."

All three they had little choice but to trust the woman at the moment. While it was painfully obvious she had ulterior motives, none of them in any way had caused them harm. Time was of the essence too so all three headed towards Gato's hideout in order to finally deal with the little shit.

All three missed the woman's chuckle and smirk.

* * *

(On the Bridge)

" **Here, Zabu, zabu, zabu. Where are you?** " the dark sing song voice of Anko filled the air, the intoxicating power continued to flow through her veins as she tried to find her prey. The woman's tongue flicked out and tasting the air molecules in a manner similar to her familiar, Midori, every so often. Normally the **Cursed Seal of Heaven** only enhanced a person's chakra and physical attributes such as their speed, reflexes, strength, and endurance to pain and fatigue. However, given the nature on how she reactivated her seal through the dark concoction Mizuki once held it was different for Anko.

Her senses such as smell and visual acuity were greatly enhanced by the liquid and power of the seal. The images around her were sharper and more define, allowing her to making out details she otherwise didn't notice. Her sense of smell was strengthened to the point she could literally taste the ocean in the air.

It was fresh, and salty.

But Anko ignored all that and tried to focus on finding her prey. Zabuza had gotten several nasty cuts along his chest and arms. Blood was flowing freely now and Anko merely needed to focus on the scent. The mist was Zabuza's domain, but with his injuries the element of surprise wasn't as strong anymore.

" **Found ya!"** Anko declared and launched a whip of yellow, corrosive energy that smacked hard on the ground. Anko wasted no time as she appeared before the injured and on guard swordsman. The man scowled and winced but fought otherwise, swinging his sword in the hopes of slicing the annoying woman in two.

Anko merely cackled, jumped up and disappeared. Zabuza tried looking for the woman but didn't need to go far as he felt an unexpected weight on his blade. The man looked murderous as his opponent was sitting on the infamous sword's broadside with her legs crossed, a taunting and snickering look on her face.

" **Hiya!** " was all she said before she suddenly lashed out with a vicous kick to his face.

Ignoring the pain and blood flowing from his now broken nose, Zabuza glared hatefully at the woman, only to see she was no longer there, " _What the fuck is with this bitch?_ " if he had to described it, the woman's entire demeanor and fighting style was chaotic. One moment the woman was playful and barely putting the effort in killing him, like a child playing with its food, the next she was focused, precise and forced Zabuza to be extra vigilant in his defense. It was not just her fighting style, but her personality as well. Zabuza didn't know much about cursed seals, he barely knew much about seals, period, but could tell that it was affecting her mind just as much as it was her techniques.

" **Tag! You're it!** "

Eyes wide, Zabuza jumped away as the deadly whip of yellow energy appeared once more. The man was a second too slow to fully dodge the technique brought up his sword to bare the full brunt of it. The man coated the blade with his chakra, but even then he heard a large sizzling sound that was soon followed by the sound of metal falling to the ground.

"GODDAMN IT!" Zabuza roared in utter fury. Not only was the woman messing with him, a member of the strongest generation of swordsmen, but she also managed to reduce his blade to half the length it normal was. It was still deadly, sort of, but now he was forced to change his approach and would be forced to repair the blade at a later date. That was going to take time, and by then he'd be handicapped.

" **Sen'ei Tajashu** (Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)!" he heard the alarming sound of snakes making their way towards him.

Assuming, of course, he'd make it out of this fight alive.

* * *

(With Gato)

Gato sneered as he watched the scene of the bridge. Though he could not make out anything other than the occasional flash of light. The short man was making his final preparations to deal with the ninja and the villagers. Too much he realized had happened and Gato believed he couldn't afford others to know he was involved. Luckily, the man had a contingency plan or two in case of such an eventuality. He'd rather not use them as even then his reputation could still end up damaged, not as badly, but bad enough that he'd probably lose a few clients in the process. But at this point the man saw little choice.

Had Zabuza done his job properly the first time around he would have dealt with his group with his own men. Tired ninja were weak ninja. Deadly still, perhaps, but not that much. That all changed when he hired Kisame and Gato knew he'd be signing his own death warrant if he messed with the tall shark faced man. Most of his men weren't the brightest of individuals; it was how he managed to keep costs down, but some were more experienced, better informed and had connections in the underworld. Those men had made it pretty clear they had no intention of facing a man who had the power that rivaled one of the Great Five's leaders. Such a plan wouldn't work against him despite their large numbers.

So instead the man decided to change tactics and decided he'd send his men off to the village and get rid of any evidence that might bite him in the ass. Luckily no paperwork or trails were linked back to him about his elicit dealings but if enough people testified against him he knew his goose was cooked. His money could only do so much for him.

Looking away from the window, Gato approached his desk and pressed on the intercom button, "Zori, Waraji, send the men out and proceed with you mission."

"…"

"… Zori, Waraji!" he asked once more and cursed as the silence continued, "Where the hell are those two!" the man couldn't afford any more slip-ups and needed everything to be in working order. "Bah! Must be faulty wiring," he surmised. It wasn't the first time such an occurrence happened. And with his secretary dead thanks to Kisame's rowdiness the man had no choice but to meet his goons and hired help himself.

BOOOOOOM!

Gato was caught off guard as the doors to his office were unexpectedly blown off. The man ducked for cover as one of them bounced his way before it crashed into his desk with a resounding thud while the other crashed through the window and fell down below. The wooden structure shuddered and gained a sizable indent from the impact but otherwise remained intact.

Before he could even ponder on what was happening, Gato saw a form flicker in the dust before he was harshly grabbed and thrown to the ground. The man groaned at the pain and soon felt himself being hosted up and staring into blue eyes filled with anger. For a brief second the man believed he say a flicker of crimson but chalked it up as his imagination.

"Don't bother yelling for help, Gato. You won't be getting any," the masked boy said and Gato knew what it meant. His thugs, all of his men, were either dead or incapacitated. Naruto hadn't wanted to do it but upon hearing what they were ordered to do via a conversation his group overhead, he knew they had little choice in the matter. "We're only gonna ask you once, and once only. Call off the hit on Tazuna and you'll live," the boy forgoing to say his chances of dying were still a possibility.

Gato merely chuckled at the irony of it all, "You're too late. Zabuza and his team are already on the bridge," he said before two more ninja appeared. Both were female, one blond and the other with indigo hair, if their physique was anything to go by.

Ino though picked up something else as she listened to the man, "Who else did you send?" Ino demanded and when she didn't get a response she decided to no longer play nice and took out a page from Anko's book.

"Fine," was all the warning he received as Ino quickly took out a kunai and stabbed the man in his injured arm, twisting it all the while. Blood gushed from the wound and Gato's face contorted into one of pure agony.

"Gaghhh! Alright, I'll talk!" he shouted, the pain becoming too much for the tyrant to handle. He was many things, a businessman, a survivor, but a fighter and someone who could deal with pain wasn't one of them.

"Speak!" Ino threatened the man with more pain as she gripped the knife more tightly and showed him **Dakatsu's Bite.** Whether it was from fear of more pain or the sudden appearance of a wicked and deadly weapon, or both, Gato spilled his guts.

"Zabuza w-was talking too long to recover. I needed to job done soon. So I hired some more men to take care of it," Ino knew it wasn't everything and pushed the knife in deeper. "AHHHHHH, NOOOOOO!" he begged but Ino continued to push the blade in further. "Hah… I…. I al-also wanted them t-to take care of Zabuza's group after they weakened ea-each other."

"So you were gonna backstab them?" Naruto's face was hidden behind his mask but his eyes showed Gato that he was pissed. Zabuza was trying to kill them but Naruto had no love for backstabbers. Had they not had orders to bring him in alive, preferably, Gato's head would be ground meat at the moment.

"You don't get it do you," here Gato laughed mirthlessly despite the pain. "Zabuza wanted double his payment in exchange for getting rid of you. He blackmailed me, I had no-"

Naruto promptly backhanded the man as he knew where it was headed. Naruto was a good bullshitter and he knew Gato was lying to them. Hoisting him up and slamming him on the desk Naruto bellowed, "WHO DID YOU HIRE?!"

Naruto didn't have any subtlety when it came to interrogation or talent in the field compared to Anko and Ino. But the act he just pulled scared Gato to the point he blurted out, "HOSHIGAKI KISAME!" before wetting himself in the process.

Approaching him, Ino yanked out the knife, making the man cry even further, looked him in the eye and said, "Thank you," before Naruto knocked him out cold with his armored fist. With the man unconscious for the moment, Naruto browsed through the **Bingo Book** screen and brought up Kisame's profile. Hinata meanwhile looked outside the windows and spotted the bridge from here in the distance. What the two saw wasn't good. For Hinata it was due to the bridge being covered in a thick blanket of impenetrable mist, and for Naruto it was due to what he read about Kisame.

"Oh, shit," Naruto paled lightly and both Ino and Hinata heard the worry and, to their concern, fear in his voice. Two things that they knew from experience that Naruto only showed if it was very bad news.

Ino asked, "How bad is it?" as she continued to tie up the man while Hinata healed him. Though Hinata was kind by nature she believed the man didn't deserve it after all the suffering he brought to Nami. But they still had more questions that only he could answer. Bleeding to death would be counterproductive and the man was no use to them dead.

Well, at least, for the moment of course.

"You know how it said Zabuza was from the strongest generation of the Seven Swordsmen," at her nod, hesitant as it was, Naruto continued, "Well, this guy killed one of em and came out of it with no injuries. And all of the swordsmen at that time were A-Rank threats."

Both of his teammates looked worried. A-Rank ninja were one of the strongest ninja in the world; some were close to being crossing the threshold into Kage level. For Kisame to have done this meant only one thing.

"He's an S-Rank ninja isn't he?" Ino's fears were confirmed by Naruto's hesitant nod. Ino knew that there was most likely a chance they weren't going to make out of this alive. Against Zabuza they had a chance, slight as it was, but an S-Rank missing ninja was another story. S-Rank meant Kage level individuals and the power gap between an A and S-Rank ninja was huge. Kakashi and Anko were both A-Rank ninja but even then that meant squat. "What do we do?"

Naruto's initial reaction was to say he had no idea. The old cocky Naruto probably would have gone in, act all chivalrous and hoped everything worked out for the best in the end. But this Naruto knew better. This Naruto was more informed and realistic. The chances of them defeating Kisame was slim to none. The only way they'd make it out of this alive was if they played it smart and prayed to Kami above that they got lucky. Even then Naruto knew it wasn't that simple. Kakashi was still weak and while Anko had Midori it wouldn't be enough.

"You guys stay here and watch over him, I'll see what I can do," Naruto informed them.

"Are you out of your bloody mind? Naruto you've gotten better but that ability of yours doesn't make you invincible. This guy's an S-Rank missing ninja. Only the toughest of the tough are labeled that and you're just a Genin. You're basically committing suicide!" Ino pleaded with him to reconsider.

"Ino-chan's right, Naruto-kun," Hinata believed in Naruto and his ability to overcome any obstacles that came his way but this was different. This was a man who had well over two decades of experience as an experienced ninja compared to their three months. Ino had described it perfectly when she said it was suicide.

"I know, but what choice do we have?" he asked them and neither one could come up with an answer. "We don't have time to come up with something guys. The longer I stay could mean life or death for the others. I'm going and that's that. If you two think something went wrong-"

"Don't' say that!" the shout surprisingly came from Hinata, "Just don't. Uzumaki Naruto has never doubted himself and you're not going to start now. You're going help our friends and then you're going to come back to us, because you always find a way, one way or another," even if the chances of him winning were slim Hinata had confidence that Naruto could somehow come up with a way to foil their plans. Or at the very least catch them off guard and buy them some time.

" _Whoa! Where'd the wallflower go?_ " Ino was not expecting such a speech out of the blue, especially from Hinata. Anko's training really did work wonders.

"Promise me you'll come back. Please," Hinata looked at him pleadingly and Naruto couldn't help but nod at the girl's plight.

"Alright, I'll come back," Naruto informed the girl. Hinata breathed out and got back to work on Gato before dragging Ino away to speak with her.

"The bridge isn't that far from here so keep a look out," the next bit he whispered, "If anything happens, grab Hinata and run like hell. Do everything you guys can to get out of here."

"And go where exactly?" Konoha was a day and a half away by ninja speed and that was with them being on a full tank of energy. Ino appreciated the concern but the chances of them escaping alive was less likely than them being captured. "Look, I'm not as vocal as Hinata when it comes to this sort of thing but if she believes you can pull a miracle out of your ass then I'll take it. Just keep your promise, okay."

"Count on it," the way the two believed in him was moving, to say the least. Naruto never felt so touched by the faith both had in him. With his resolve strengthened, Naruto set out to help his comrades. The boy also made sure he'd be back; because Uzumaki Naruto never went back on his word and nindo.

Never.

* * *

(On the Bridge)

"Smashy, smashy!" Kisame chuckled as he flailed his weapon around and tried to smash Kakakshi to the ground. The fight he was getting was pretty decent, not great but it wasn't as boring as it started. The man watched as Kakashi dodged the strike that made the bridge area crumble upon impact.

Kakashi though was starting to breathe pretty heavily and sweat covered his form. The man wanted nothing more than to Raikiri Kisame but the technique took too long to stabilize and Kisame never gave him enough time to complete it. His other techniques were countered as well with Kisame's own. The fishman knew a lot of techniques and many of them had greater power in them than Kakashi currently had.

Had this been three or so years ago during his time in Anbu the two could have been evenly matched. Anbu generally had their faces covered to hide their identities; some such as Kakashi at times forwent their mask because their power and reputation had been more than enough to send others packing or think twice before facing them. Add that he had no significant other meant showing his identity wasn't going to have those sorts of consequences. It was how Kakashi's reputation had quickly made headway in the ninja world despite his young age.

But since the man's time outside of the Anbu forces his skills had dulled, his stamina had dropped along with his speed and strength. His chakra wasn't as potent either. Assuming they survived, of course, Kakashi made a mental note to start getting back into shape once the mission was ever.

"GAAHHHH!" a shout from behind where his Genin were fighting was heard.

A cold sweat crept up his spine as he heard the shout, one that momentarily distracted the man long enough for Kisame to land a hard blow on his chest and shred part of his arm in a shower of blood. Kakashi was sent rolling into the mist in pain, a few ribs were most likely broken or cracked, and blood flowed freely from his arm.

Kisame was toying with him at the moment and it was evident who the superior fighter was. But toying with the masked ninja rather than kill him outright would be the man's downfall. Despite knowing he hadn't fully recovered and that the following move would leave him severally drained and possibly on the verge of collapse, Kakashi took out a scroll and marked it with his blood.

" **Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu** (Summoning: Earth Release: Track Fang Technique)!" the man watched as markings webbed themselves along the stone before they disappeared.

The next moment he heard the sound of Kisame shouting in pain as the technique worked its magic. Keeping his guard up as best he could, Kakashi walked into the mist and came upon the form of a dog-piled and immobile Kisame. Eight ninken were upon the man, all bearing him down with their weight and incredible jaws.

"Well… this is new," Kisame had to say this was one for the books. "Being held down by a bunch of mutts. Didn't see that coming."

The dogs merely bit down harder on the slightly wincing man and Kisame cocked an eyebrow as Kakashi began to blur through another set of techniques. The trapped man sensed the power and concentration build up and knew a powerful technique was about to be used.

"Alright, I'm bored. Time to get this over with," he announced before a surge of strength filled Kisame's being and he flexed himself with a large guttural shout. The unexpected move and physical feat caught the dogs off guard and many were sent flying, yelping, or de-summoned as the missing ninja freed himself from the jaws of the beasts. Kakashi looked on in disbelief as the man grabbed his largest and physically strongest ninken, Bull, and smacked him with his sword. The ninken disappeared in a cloud of smoke and one by one many of them were suddenly defeated by the man's ferocious attacks.

" **Suiton: Bakusui Shoha** (Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave)!

Kakashi's eyes nearly popped out of his head as the water user spat out a great volume of water from his mouth. Kakashi had heard about Kisame's prowess in water ninjutsu but the amount of water that surged was simply immense. The water waves that smacked into his ninken made them disappear, while Kakashi grunted in pain as he felt the water threaten to crush him and force the air out of his lungs.

Nearby, both Anko and Zabuza's own fight were halted as they too were struck by the large amount of water. Both lost their concentration and the technique sent them tumbling over the bridge and swirling in the mass of water that trapped them. Zabuza felt his leg strike something harshly at a very bad angle and shouted in the water. If he had to guess by the pain he felt it meant the limb was broken.

Anko for her part tried to grab a hold of something to stop the spinning. The woman felt nauseous by the violent waves that tossed her around like ragdoll to who knows where. Her concentration became too focused on surviving the technique by holding on whatever she could to stop the spinning that she suddenly felt drained, tired even. The woman the realized as she held of for dear life that the Cursed Seal's power had receded and cursed at the lousy timing.

The Genin of Team Seven and Haku looked on in confusion as the waves reached them and Kakashi's Team had to root themselves into the ground with chakra so they weren't swept away. Had they been closer to the center of it all, the act would have dislocated their legs and knees, Haku was safe in the Yuki Clan's mirrors but even then the pressure caused the mirrors to develop small cracks.

When it was all over, all the tired ninja ironically found themselves all gathered together in one spot. Kakashi drew the correct assumption that it wasn't a mere coincidence. Whatever the man was planning it involved finishing them all off, including his allies, in one go. His hunch was correct as Kisame stood in front of them with a knowing smirk.

"Well, I'd say it's been fun… but it wasn't really," Kisame had hoped for a decent fight but it seemed like he wouldn't be getting his wish granted. "Oh, well, better luck next time. Suiton: Daibak-"

The man was momentarily surprised as ten ninja, clones and the original most likely suddenly appeared between him and the Konoha ninja. Five were being carried and had a look of deep concentration on them, while the others merely set them down and blurred through their own hand seals. It was then that his mind finally registered the warning his sword gave off and Kisame could only say three words.

"Oh, fuck me."

" **Katon: Rasen Hoen no Justu** (Fire Release: Spiralling Phoenix Flame Technique)!" five clones declared as five large flame covered avian raptors burst into life.

 **Futon: Shishisenkou no Jutsu** (Wind Release: Lion's Battle Roar Technique)!" the other five Narutos declared as a very large bellow rang throughout the battle area. Many were forced to cover their ears form the shear loudness of it all.

Both the wind techniques and fire techniques merged before crashing onto the other half of the unfinished bridge. The combined technique was a veritable hell as the intense heat and flames licked at the stone, making some even melt as well due to how hot it was. The ninja, and the small crowd of civilians behind that were brave or foolish enough to help fight, could not help but look on in surprise and awe.

Here was a mere Genin, the lowest rank of ninja - not counting academy student – who was using a technique that was easily A if not S-Rank in terms on an infamous missing ninja. The boy made it look so easy that made some wonder if he wasn't actually a higher rank ninja in disguise.

Nearly a minute passed before Naruto canceled the technique and watched as the clones he had disappeared. The blond had yet to regain all his chakra and was still recuperating from his time in the dungeons. One offing Kisame like this seemed the quickest way to deal with the man. But at least it got the job done.

"Phew, gotta admit I wasn't expecting that from a Genin," they all heard a voice call out from the smoke. Konoha ninja, and even the ninja from Kiri, had horrified looks as Kisame emerged from the flaming wreck with barely any harm done to him. His cloak was singed and all in a few places but other than that the shark man looked relatively unscathed by what was thought to have been a sure kill move.

"Wh—wha?" Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. Nine Kage Bunshin, five of them using his strongest technique and the others amplifying it with his strongest wind technique, and it had been all for naught. Over one-third of his chakra was gone because of that stunt and he had nothing to show for it. S-Rank missing ninja or not it should have at least done some harm.

"Wha- what the hell's that?!" Tazuna shouted and everyone was rendered even more stunned as they spotted the reason for his befuddlement and terror.

The object was long, easily greater in size than Kisame himself. It possessed downward facing scales running along the entirety of its length, the scales were so long that they resembled the fins of a shark. It even possessed a mouth with a row of sharp teeth also reminiscent of a shark's.

"Is that the sword?" Sasuke wondered and couldn't keep his eyes off the object/creature that the man wielded.

"You guessed it," Kisame grinned and with barely any effort he lifted the enormous blade, looking at it fondly, "Samehade's known as _the_ _most terrifying blade of the Seven Swordsmen_ for a reason. If you strike him he'll shred ya to pieces. If you use ninjutsu, you'll only make 'im stronger and stronger. This guy's got quite the appetite," here the sword shuddered and shook, making the ninja weary at what was going to happen next. A sword that could render ninjutsu and taijutsu useless was not something that had thought to face. "But he's also a picky eater, and fire ninjustu gives him an upset stomach."

Kakashi's eyes widened to the point they'd threaten to pop out of their socked. The young veteran ninja immediately understood what the deadly swordsman was refereeing to, " RUN!"

"TOO LATE!" Kisame shouted with glee and unleashed hell in the form of a blazing firestorm from the mouth of the beast. An epic amount of hellfire was spewed forth from Samehada in a manner similar to an overpowered flamethrower. The flames engulfed everything in its path as it made a beeline towards the ninja, both ally and enemy alike.

Team Seven and Anko could only look on as Naruto was engulfed by the flames before they had time to react. Kakashi felt his heart shatter as the last remaining legacy of his mentor and wife die by the missing ninja's hands.

"Kisame, you backstabbing son of a bitch!" Zabuza shouted as he surrounded himself and his word with a dome of dense water, one that was soon covered with a thick sheet of ice and dropping the temperature of the water at a frightening rate. But with his injured leg he knew he'd be unable to outrun it. Diving off the bridge would only make it much worse, and potentially kill him with the other injuries he possessed.

Zabuza was no fool and knew his that even his most powerful Suiton technique would at best slow it down before it was overwhelmed. The raw power in Kisame's physical strength was outmatched only by the man's unfathomable strength in ninjustu and ability to use Samehada in ways its previous wielders could not.

But part of him also wasn't surprised that Kisame turned on him. The man had a history of betrayal and had been the first to betray the Seven Swordsmen. The result of which had caused a chain reaction that, in Zabuza's mind, ultimately lead to the once famous group's downfall. After Kisame's stunt and following actions to come, many began to distrust the Seven Swordsmen. Most of them had been open about their ire despite their prowess.

However, powerful as he was, Kisame's forte was in water ninjutsu, not fire. So with his **Suiro** (Water Prison) combined with Haku's **Hyogan Domu** (Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness) the pair had a chance at surviving so long as they continued to strengthen their technique.

"Midori!" Anko shouted as she, Hotto and Kakashi's group were enveloped around the coils of the great but injured serpent. The large familiar would be sore for the next little while and wouldn't be able to fight either due to the risky stunt. For added protection the senior Jonin slammed his hands to the ground and summoned up a large slab of stone made from the bridge. The wall that bore bulldog sculptures wasn't as large as he had wanted it to be due to a sudden and unexpected increase in exhaustion. The man prayed it would be enough, but his mind wandered as he thought of Minato's son.

Kisame continued to unleash the red-hot flames with greater intensity than Naruto did with his combination technique. The attack making the ninja sweat from the heat and strain as they were pushed to reinforce their techniques even more.

Luckily for them, it was over in a minute before Kisame canceled the flow of chakra, but even then they felt drained. The man spoke truthfully when he said Samehada was a picky eater. Fire chakra, especially those from intense techniques, weren't exactly Samehada's favorite meal. The sword didn't mind a little bit but too much and it became moody and difficult to deal with. Making the sword "barf _"_ out the meal was the only way to get it back under Kisame's control.

Even then the man had not expected such a technique from a Genin. He'd have made a decent challenge when he got older, but Kisame had a job to do. " _Ah, well. There'll be other fights,_ " he thought and got back to business. It came as no surprise as Kisame saw the burnt corpse of the Genin he just snuffed the life out of. The man ignored the blacked and smoking body as he made his way towards the exhausted ninja.

However, Kisame immediately felt pain as a blade sliced into his back. The crashing of a metal head into his kneecap soon followed it up and the infamous swordsman was forced to ground with an audible grunt. Another strike came at him but Kisame was quicker to react despite his predicament and he sent the attacker flying. Blood was drawn but it wasn't fatal. Bone was shattered but it was easily repairable. Years of combat had hardened his willpower and ability to endure pain. Plus with Samehada the man's injuries would heal pretty quickly.

But it didn't mean the Monster of the Bloody Mist wasn't pissed.

And a pissed off Kisame was someone that no ninja or civilian alike wanted to face in their entire lives. Kisame glared as the attacker, which was replaced by confusing as he saw the form of the Konoha Genin alive and well.

" _No way in hell could a Genin survive that,_ "Kisame doubted his opponent was a Genin level shinobi. Bukijutsu wise it was the case, ninjutsu wise, however was another story. The kid was most likely an Anbu or one of Konoha's secret aces in the hole that despite his young age. But even then it still didn't explain how he managed to avoid being burnt alive.

The S-Rank missing ninja wasn't the only one amazed by what transpired. The Genin of Team Seven had grudgingly come to terms with the fact that Naruto had become much stronger than when he was an Academy Student. But even though he was stronger the sight before them was pushing it. Despite being glad he was alive, Naruto should not have been able to survive from the flames.

Much like his Genin, Hatake Kakashi couldn't believe what he witnessed. Part of him thought it to be a trick being played on him, that his mind was unable to cope with the fact that Minato's son had survived. But to his utter relief, the man's mind wasn't being tricked as he saw the looks of his own team and heavily panting but smirking Anko. Naruto was alive, but it begged the question.

" _How did he survive?_ " the Konoha Jonin wondered.

"Phew, that was close," Naruto muttered but groaned/whined as he saw Kisame's wounds healing up and closing. "Ah, man. Are you shitting me?! You can heal?"

"'Fraid so, pint size," Kisame gave him a predatory smirk and subconsciously Naruto gulped. His quick equip of the Crimson Cloak of the Fire Rat had saved his ass, and restored much of his lost energy, his use of the Henge disguising his uninjured form, but that wouldn't mean squat against the man's sword. Naruto kept up his guard but Kisame was upon him quickly with Samehada raised up high.

"Now you're gonna-"

The missing's ninja's words were caught in his throat as his strike was ultimately blocked. Naruto had half expected to be sent flying from the strike and instead the dark-garbed boy was saved from injury in the form of a large … frog? Said creature was incredibly large in size, possessing orange skin that was covered in blue markings, and bandages wrapped around its body and left foreleg. Around the head was a necklace with seven large beads with the kanji for "loyalty" on the central, largest one. The amphibian was wearing samurai armor, composed of a plate cuirass and arm-guards paired with traditional samurai pauldrons. Its arms were crossed over its head and holding the deadly blue blade at bay with what looked like complete ease.

"What the hell?" a bewildered Kisame thought out loud just before Samehada sent out warning vibes. Years of using the deadly weapon had taught Kisame not to doubt its judgment and the shark-man's decisive action saved his life.

Out from the mist and hundreds if not thousands of white needles flew through the air and made contact with the spot the missing ninja once stood. The seemingly harmless looking projectiles, easily piercing the hard materials as if they were nothing more than paper, obliterated wood, stone and metal alike.

Kisame growled as he landed away what could have been a nasty hit. The swordsman readied himself and Samehada for what was to come next. But what he didn't take into account was who made themselves known from the sound of wooden sandals clacking on the hard surface. Next, he saw spiky white hair tied into a ponytail, with two shoulder-length bangs framing his face. Red lines were seen under his eyes which extended further down his face, and his overall attire bore a striking resemblance of a kabuki player.

"Well, shit," Kisame frowned as he looked upon a legendary and well-known ninja.

"Who's that?" Sakura asked out loud, getting a look of disbelief from Anko and the other two Kiri ninja.

" _Seriously? Who the fuck doesn't know about their village's own legends?_ " a tired Zabuza wondered but groaned weakly. The combination technique had saved his ass but the intensity of it had pushed him and Haku to their limits. Both were virtually spent. Standing itself required focused effort and teamwork on their parts.

"Me?" here he chuckled and made Anko, and to an extent Kakashi, groan as she knew what was about to happen next, "I'm the man who makes women's heart soar, the one who makes children look up in awe and make men wept with jealously. I'm the one, the only, legendary toad sage, Jiraiya!" he finished with a pose.

"…"

"…"

"…?"

"… Uhhh, who invited the nut-job?" Naruto broke the silence.

"Gah!" Jiraiya faulted forward off his summon by the indignant response, "God damn it! Punks these days have no respect for their elders and the classics."

" _We didn't have any respect for it back then either,_ " Kakashi and Anko mentally deadpanned at the man's whining. All the while the ninja from Kiri couldn't wrap their minds around what was happening. One of the supposed legendary ninja and member of the **Densetsu no Sannin** (Legendary Three Ninja) was this eccentric whack job before them?

" _Either the rumors were sugar coated or this guy's gone nuts,_ " Kisame briefly thought before blurring through some seals and summoned a large missile of water in the form of shark's head. The technique was launched at the group, but Jiraiya calmly brought out and unfurled a scroll.

" **Fūka Suiin** (Water Sealing Method)!" the words escaped his lips with ease and to everyone's amazement, the technique was being effortlessly sealed inside the scroll. If there was any doubt about his partner's words on the man's strength Kisame didn't doubt them now. Despite specializing in water ninjutsu and swordsmanship the Kiri shinobi was proficient in other elemental techniques as well. Nowhere as good, but enough to make lesser fighters scamper.

But Kisame had an inkling the white haired man could very well do the same with other elements, too. Despite wanting to go on fighting, much like his former crew the man was a fighter, not a quitter, Kisame begrudgingly knew when to cut his losses. Kisame was only ever afraid of two people despite having a great deal of respect for them, the first was his partner, Itachi, and the second was his group's leader, Pain. The man didn't even want to think of the hell those two would put him through if they found out he was captured. Escaping was the lesser of two evils at the moment. Though weakened from the fight, barely though, Kisame summoned forth a dense mist that briefly overpowered the sight of everyone nearby. But much like the water shark he had originally called forth the mist was absorbed into the scroll and their vision was restored in seconds.

But it mattered not as the Kiri ninja was nowhere to be seen. All the ninja had their guard up and Jiraiya knew that the man was no longer sticking around with the Toad Sage around. "You're a hundred years too early if you think you can catch me off guard with that level of ninjutsu!" he called out before looking at the group. "Sorry I'm late for the party, but it looks like I made it in time."

But before Jiraiya could say anything more the group heard sobbing from behind them.

"Hey, old man, you okay?" Naruto smiled, thinking Tazuna was shedding tears of joy.

"I'm fine… i- it's just- my bridge!" he openly wept as he saw the state of his beloved super bridge. While he was happy that Gato was taken care of the old man couldn't help but become saddened at the sight of what he and many other poured their heart and soul into making.

"Oh! Uhhhh," Naruto, as well as the other ninja, was at a loss of words as he gazed upon the bridge. "It's not that bad. All it needs is a little makeover, maybe some duck tape, at it will be good as-"

CRASH!

"… new?… heh, heh, whoops?" an embarrassed Naruto chuckled nervously as a large section fell into the water below. The sight making Tazuna become wide-eyed before he began to bawl even louder in Kakashi's shoulder.

"That's the problem with you kids these days. No self-restraint, it's all about the collateral damage," Jiraiya shook his head. "But you got the job done so that's good."

"My super bridge!" the client of Team Seven continued to wail some more. An uncomfortable Kakashi attempted to console the man while Anko and Gama kept a close eye on Haku and Zabuza. While the two had surrendered, begrudgingly, of course, there was not telling what they would pull and Anko wasn't going to take any chances.

"The bridge aside, what are you doing here, Pervert?" Anko asked the now groaning man. While she respected Jiraiya for his prowess a ninja his personality and perverted nature had been another thing. It didn't bother her as much compared to other women as she enjoyed the books he made. They gave her good ideas. What she hadn't cared about was the way he portrayed someone Anko knew was based off of her.

Anko was not a size 32 C and loved getting spanked with a paddle, " _That's my job._ "

"First of all-"

"Yeah, yeah. You're not a Pervert; you're a Super Pervert. I know!" she cut him off.

"Damn straight," he spoke much to the Genin's confusing and slight disbelief. "But I was on my way to see Old Man Sarutobi and came across one of your snakes. Thought it belonged to my old teammate so I decided to investigate. When I got it to tell me everything I rushed over here as fast as I could. And here we are now," he finished.

"So what now?" Kiba asked, "We did our job and got Zabuza and the masked dude, so all that's left is getting Gato."

"Already taken care of, Ino and Hinata are watching over him now. Ino said she'd try and get whatever she could out of him," Naruto shuddered lightly as he remembered the look she had as she said that. Both his teammates were being too influenced by the woman. "So all in all, it's mission accomplished."

"Wait… are you saying we're free?" a voice from the growing crowd behind them called out hopefully.

"Uh… I guess?" Naruto's answer left the crowd tear-filled and joyful as it finally became evident that the tyrannical businessman no longer ruled them. The ninja cracked a small smile but a warning flash alerted him that something was wrong with Hinata and Ino.

"Fuck! Ino and Hinata are trouble!" was all Naruto declared before he rushed off towards Gato's hideout with a Shunshin. Anko was worried and wanted to follow her student regardless of her current condition. However, her body would not listen and the woman nearly fell had it not been for Kakashi's support.

"Gaki, wait! Shit! Gama, look after em!" Jiraiya ordered the toad before chasing after his godson. It was evident that despite his looks he took after his mother if his act first and think later attitude was anything to go by.

To civilians and animals alike, Naruto was nothing more than a barely visible blur as he passed by them. All that mattered at the moment was getting to his teammates before anything else happened to them. Luckily the hideout wasn't that far from the bridge and Naruto would arrive there under five minutes. But as fast as he was the blond's speed was no match for that of an experienced and powerful ninja like Jiraiya. The man appeared by Naruto's side just as the hideout came into view, and before he had time to react, Jiraiya grabbed a hold of him.

Even then though the man would admit the boy's speed was impressive for someone his age. Not as good as himself and his former teammates own when they were younger, or close to Minato's, but impressive still. " _The kid may act like Kushina but he certainly inherited Minato's talent._ "

The fact that he sensed his teammates were in trouble was a testament of such talent. The Toad Sage didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Or even both, actually.

"Let me go!" Naruto all but ordered the man as he tried and failed to wiggle out of Jiraiya's hold. His teammates were in trouble and Naruto needed to help them.

"Brat, calm down already!" Jiraiya spoke lowly but with authority, "Going in there without a plan's only gonna end up with you dead and that ain't gonna help your team. Now shut up and follow my lead!" the man released him and made his way up the side of the building. Unlike his traitorous teammate Orochimaru, Jiraiya was no sensor. The man knew the basics of it, but no more than that. Even then it allowed him to sense the presence of two shinobi up above, faint but still there.

Both Naruto and Jiraiya made their way up the wall of the building as quickly and quietly as they could. Upon arriving they noticed a broken window and spotted two downed and bound kunoichi. Jiraiya had to hold Naruto back from rushing in and giving away the element of surprise. Using hands signs that told the boy they were okay, Naruto glanced at them both and Jiraiya saw him become visibly calmer. Both were still breathing and the fact that he still sensed them meant they were alive, merely unconscious.

Sensing no one, though he wasn't the greatest at it, both of them entered the room and heard shuffling coming from behind a very large bookcase. Evidently the corrupt tyrant of Nami had a safe made.

"I wouldn't bother you two. I knew you were coming from a mile away," a familiar voice called out before Asagao came out of the safe. "Hey, Handsome," she chirped upon seeing Naruto and casually went about her business as though nothing was wrong.

"You know her, kid?" Jiraiya asked. Whoever this woman was, a real beauty in his mind, she was more than she appeared to be.

"She helped us out. Gato would still be in control of Nami if she hadn't helped," Naruto summarized it. "What are you doing here?"

"What's it look like, I'm taking my cut," here she waved a large wad of ryo before it vanished with a puff from her hand. "Gotta thank you for your help, Handsome. You made all this much easier for me. Sorry about your teammates, though they didn't give me much choice. Don't worry, they'll be fine in the next little while," she assured Naruto when he looked ready to go on the offensive. "Besides, by the time they come to, I'll be long gone."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but that's not going to happen," Jiraiya didn't know who she was but despite her assistance in the mission the man wasn't about to let her go off scot-free.

"Ah, yes, Jiraiya of the Sannin. Shouldn't you be looking for research material in a hot spring somewhere," Jiraiya didn't bite into the bait and the woman looked oddly calm as she stared down at the legendary ninja. It was as though she wasn't taking the matter seriously. Something that few could actually do before breaking down into a nervous sweat based on the man's past experience.

" _Either she's cocky or she's confident she can actually escape from here,_ " either way though Jiraiya wasn't going to let it happen and moved in quickly to intercept her. Just when he was within less than an arm's length of her did the man suddenly buckle under his own weight. The man was forced to a knee as his world felt as though the gravity had suddenly been increased to incredulous levels. Being an expert on seals, Jiraiya had been taught how to detect seals and knew various ways to neutralize them. The amount of people in the world who could catch him off guard with them was few in number and could be counted on one hand.

"Impressive," Asagao commented as she easily moved passed him, "Normally an ordinary man would have been sprawled and left immobile. Looks like there's credit to your reputation after all," she smirked.

" **Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique)!"

Asagao looked at the large volley of metal stars flying towards her with utter boredom. The woman countered the move by unleashing a gale of wind. The woman, however, was mildly surprised when five doppelgangers of Naruto suddenly appeared with their weapons held high. The woman's smirk never left her features.

Just as Jiraiya was about to break free from the gravitational hold that pinned him down did the man hear two words he'd never thought he'd hear again, " **Kongō Fūsa** (Adamantine Sealing Chains)!" Chains made of dark red metal suddenly sprang forth from the woman's body.

Each found their mark and wrapped themselves tightly around a clone and the original like a constrictor. Naruto suddenly felt weakened as such as the chain touched him. The sensation he felt wasn't like when he was having his chakra drained, rather it felt like his chakra was being cut off from him.

"Well, boys it's been fun but I have places to go and people to see," the woman announced before she made her way to the window. "Hey, Handsome, it's nice to see that other members of the Uzumaki Clan are alive and well."

Naruto had no idea what the woman was talking about as she said those words. But as he gazed on the woman's form did he see it ripple lightly. Gone was the dark brown hair fashioned into a ponytail, it was now replaced by shorts locks of dark crimson. Her skin remained fair, unblemished, but became paler, which only enhanced the look of the deep red lipstick she wore. She wore a unique kimono with one side not covering up her chest. But even then a fishnet shirt underneath covered up her modesty. Had it not been in the midst of battle Jiraiya would have taken notes for future material.

"See ya," she winked before her body flickered out of existence just as Jiraiya finally broke free of the seal. No dust, clouds or leaves were visible as she disappeared. The woman was simply gone.

" _If I hadn't known any better I'd swear she used the_ _ **Hiraishin**_ _(Flying Thunder God Technique)_ ," the thought wasn't that comforting. The man was one of the few alive who knew Minato wasn't the creator of the technique like rumors made it out to be. While Minato had made the technique famous, Tobirama, on the other hand had rarely left others alive compared to Jiraiya's student. If knowledge got out that an Uzumaki of all people, and a woman at that, knew such a skill it would not end well. The man recalled Hiruzen saying that it had been rumored that the Uzumaki Clan had assisted the man in the technique's development. There had never been any proof to back such claims, and with the clan's demise and Uzu in ruins, there was no way to know if such claims had truth to them.

The man didn't doubt she wasn't an Uzumaki like she claimed to be, her use of fuinjutsu and the chakra chains were enough to confirm otherwise. They were similar to Kushina's own, albeit in a different color compared to the gold ones the late kunoichi had. But that didn't mean a thing. The old saying blood was thicker than water didn't mean the woman was on their side. Jiraiya had seen family members kill one another for the most trivial of reasons. But the man had bigger problems to deal with now.

"Hey, what did she mean by Uzumaki Clan?" Jiraiya cursed as one of the problems just presented itself. "I saw how you reacted. You know what she meant, didn't you."

"As much as I'd like to explain kid-"

"No, you're not gonna fucking weasel your way outta this like he does," Naruto heatedly interrupted. "You know something and I know Sarutobi-jiji knows something, too. You know who my family was so you might as well come clean and stop making bullshit excuses!" the boy scowled. Despite ninja being meant to keep secrets, this was one secret Naruto had always wanted to know the truth about. There was no way in hell he was going to be denied knowing the truth.

"I wasn't gonna, kid," Jiraiya began, knowing lying wasn't going to help him and would only alienate his godson from him. The man could only imagine how he'd react to that tidbit of information. "All I was gonna say is now's not the time nor the place. When we get back to Konoha we'll speak with the old man. Some skeletons are kept locked away for a reason, even if only temporarily. Sound good?"

Naruto's scowl lessened but it never left his face as he gave a curt nod. The Genin got to work and began unbinding his teammates while Jiraiya took a look inside the safe. Using his superior strength, Naruto propped them up against the wall and took out some smelling salts; the same ones that were once normally used whenever Hinata had one of her fainting spells.

"Ughh, what the hell?" Ino's groaning was followed up by a wince when the headache finally kicked in. "What hit us?"

"Asageo, or whoever she claimed to be," the woman hadn't been all that forthcoming with her name but they'd have to use it for now. "Apparently, she used us."

"There's a shocker," Ino wasn't all that surprised really. But she was surprised she was still alive. The woman had taken them out with no problems and could have easily killed them. Which begged the question, "Why didn't she off us?" she wasn't complaining, Ino loved living. But the Yamanaka was curious by the event.

"My guess is because she didn't see you two as a threat and because she wasn't looking to kill either," Jiraiya said as he entered the scene.

"Who's that, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as her surroundings became clearer to her.

"Believe it or not, that guy's Jiraiya of the Sannin," if both weren't cognizant of what was currently happening they were now. Both kunoichi looked at the man in disbelief, and Ino with slight disappointment, it wasn't every day one could claim they met a famous ninja.

"I thought he'd be better looking," Ino's comment elicited a whine from the man, "and younger."

The last comment caused storm clouds to form above the kneeling man, " _I may not have the goods like I used to but I'm still better looking than most my age damn it! You don't see me using jutsu to look younger!_ " the man felt a tingle up his spine the moment he said that and made a note to avoid Tsunade for the next little bit.

"Ino-chan, that's not nice to say," Hinata's comment perked the man right up, " ** _No matter how true it is,_** " her inner bad side added.

"At least one of you greenhorns knows a little about respect," neither Ino nor her fellow blond cared for the comment. "So a Yamanaka and a Hyuga are your teammates, huh? That's a different than the usually set up. Next you'll tell me Anko's your teacher."

"…" All three Genin stayed silent and looked away.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Jiraiya shouted, "YOU LUCKY BASTARD! YOU'RE THE ONLY GUY IN YOUR TEAM?" the man didn't know whether to be jealous, happy, or worried for his godson. Even Minato didn't have this much luck. Were these kids older he'd be using this sorta thing as future book material. Then again they were teenagers and ninja, but even then Jiraiya had his morals and knew when to draw the line.

"No… Hotto's part of the team, too," Naruto rebutted uncomfortably while Hinata giggled lightly and Ino chuckled. Looking to change the subject, Naruto asked, "What did you find?"

"In a nut shell, a lot actually. Check it yourself, I made sure it was free of traps," the man assured him. Though Naruto shot him a questionable look; the man did fall for a trap not that long ago that had him at the woman's mercy. Naruto didn't know what it was but damn if it didn't look useful.

Entering the vault, Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he saw the contents. The boy spotted safe deposit boxes, jewelry, and a ton of cash. There was even some miscellaneous items lying around such as weapons, armoor and scrolls as well to name a few.

"Impressive, huh?" Jiraiya spoke behind him. "But also sad. If my hunch is right and as much I wanna be wrong, this stuff here is a result of bloodshed. Everything you see here was most likely taken by force or earned illegally. And the worse part of it is that it can't be traced back to where it came from. No ledgers, no papers, nothing. The man knew what he was doing, which doesn't help us all that much really," Jiraiya informed him.

"Ano, is it me or does it look like some of it's been taken recently?" Hinata asked as she and Ino came into view.

"Sharp eye and the girl's right. That Asageo character took a large amount of stuff from here before she flew the coop," the man proved his point by showing the scattered ryo bills and open safe boxes. Jiraiya had dealt with enough man of Gato's type to know he'd keep all these things neat and organized. It also made him wonder if there had been papers in the safe but Asageo made off with them. "I'm surprised she didn't take all of it, though. Would have been really simple to do from what I saw."

"Well, she did say she wanted to help rid Nami of Gato. Even if she ended up using us this is proof she wasn't completely lying to us," Naruto put in his two-piece but Jiraiya wasn't completely sold despite how it turned out. "I mean she could have just killed you two otherwise and not leave anything for Nami."

Though Hinata paled lightly at the prospect, while Jiraiya and Ino wanted to smack the tactless jinchuriki, the boy did have point. The woman could have easily run off with everything but she didn't. There was more to Asageo's character than she appeared to be.

"So wait, as far as everyone knows this money doesn't exist, right?" Ino began and Naruto immediately saw where this was going.

"Ino," he began.

"The girl's got a point, kid," Naruto was shocked that it came from Jiraiya of all people, "Hey, this here is a result of bloodshed and lost lives, but then again you could say the same thing about the missions we take already. But seeing as how this will be used to help Nami, here," the man took three large stacks of money and gave one each to the Genin, much to their shock, and Ino's glee. "That's three hundred thousand ryo, each, and it barely puts in a dent to what's here."

"But, isn't this wrong, Jiraiya-sama?" Hinata felt off from taking the money, knowing where it came from felt wrong to the heiress of the Hyuga Clan.

"It's only wrong if you take it all, kid. Look, here's a lesson I learned long ago; ninja are supposed to steal and cheat others all the time. When it comes to stuff like this you gotta learn to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves but at the same time make sure you put it to good use and don't get greedy," here all three gave Ino a look.

"Hey!" was Ino's indignant response as the Yamanaka realized she was being starred at.

"Anyway, look around and see if there's anything worthwhile but the money and jewels are off limits. Nami will need all the help it can get before it gets back on its feet. Chop, chop!" Jiraiya ordered the group.

"Umm, guys," Ino stopped them as something dawned on her, "Where's Gato?"

Sure enough the room behind them was empty and Gato was not visible in sight, "Shit, you think he came to?"

"No way," Ino shook her head and elaborated, "After you left I got him to talk some more and knocked him out with a poison Anko-sensei taught. Gato was out like a light and wouldn't be up for a good two hours unless given the antidote or a shot of adrenaline," Ino didn't bother stating the obvious fact that Gato was also bound and injured enough that he wouldn't be walking properly for the next little while. Hinata stopped the bleeding but that was the extent of it.

"You'd also be dead, too," Jiraiya noted and observed the room with a critical eye, "It couldn't have happened while you were unconscious, we would have sensed him and I doubt Asageo wouldn't have wanted him to scamper off. And if my hunch is right," Jiraiya knocked his hand on the wall a few times before he found what he was looking for. "Bingo, a hand print device. This thing scans your DNA and the pattern in your hands and despite a Henge fooling others it won't fool this thing. The chakra shell interferes with the read. This mean's our mystery woman made off with him."

"But why would she do that, Jiraiya-sama?" Hinata asked more out of curiosity than concern for the man. Retrieving him for Konoha had been part of the mission, but it hadn't been all that vital.

"That my dear is a good question. I can think of a few good reasons but without Gato here or any information we're not gonna be able to solve the matter any time soon," Jiraiya frowned before ordering while he pondered the new series of events.

The Genin meanwhile rummaged through the horde that was Gato's secret stash. Some of the safe boxes had lovely pieces of jewelry that Ino was fighting the impulse to take for herself. Others had other things in them such as alcoholic bottles, most likely expensive ones. Others had scrolls on techniques that while interesting at first were only common based ones. Most likely they were kept as trophy's or for whatever reason. Rummaging through some more, Naruto finally hit pay dirt as he came across a useful scroll.

 **Beginner's Nito-Ryu (Two Swords Style).** Lv1. Next Lv 0%/100%. An old and highly sought out weapon fighting style that was based on the teachings of the legendary kensei, Miyamoto Musashi. This fighting style is based on the use of two wielding swords, or weapons, simultaneous and to deadly effect. The beginner aspect of the style teaches one how to use one weapon offensively before moving on to the defense and countering aspect.

* Passively increases the power of primary weapons by 20%

* Passively increases the striking speed of weapons by 20%

* Passively increases the effectiveness of weapon techniques by 20%

* Passively increases the effectiveness of dual wielding weapons by 20%

" _HOT DAMN!_ " though his face was hidden behind his mask, Naruto was very pleased with the find. The swords and weapons he found, though decent, weren't quite as good as his own weapon. Most likely they were merely trophies taken from those who pissed Gato off. Naruto had half expected to fine a decent weapon within them but it wasn't to be apparently. Silently, Naruto put away the scroll in his **Inventory Box** and kept on looking for any other potential goods.

"Whoa," he heard Ino from the side and saw her storing at a fairly large scroll Hinata had found.

"Well, I'll be damned," Jiraiya commented, "A summoning scroll. A minor one, but it's a summoning scroll either way. You don't see those every day."

"That's a summoning scroll?" Naruto had never seen one before. Said scroll was twice the length and width of a normal scroll with blue and had blue markings with brown stripes along the ends. "What does it summon? Come on, Hinata, open it!"

Hinata giggled at her crush's enthusiasm and unfurled the rolled up parchment. Only a few names were seen and all of them were crossed out, symbolizing their end. Looking some more the group finally came across the name of the summoning clan.

"Otters?" Ino knew it was going to be a minor summoning clan, but she had expected more than mere seafaring weasels. What the hell could otters do anyway? Splash around and look cute?

"Hey, I said it was a minor summoning clan, didn't I? Even then you shouldn't underestimate them, Otters are far from weak," the man internally gloated that they weren't as cool or tough as the as toads though. "What they lack in strength they make up for it in creativity, intelligence and speed. Otters have been known to kill crocodiles and large creatures by dragging them into the water, chocking them, and drowning them. Imagine what the summon variant, which is much bigger I might add, will do to you if pissed off?"

The thought of drowning and being dragged to the depths of a watery abyss flashed through Ino's mind and caused her to pale lightly at the thought. It was probably best not to badmouth them, "So who's gonna sign it?" Ino hadn't really put much thought into having a summon of her own really. Especially one with the otters despite the picture the Toad Sage painted.

"I'm good. Doesn't feel like they'd go well with my fighting style anyway," Anko had said that a summoning clan was used to compliment or enhance one's fighting style. Naruto didn't know any water ninjutsu but it didn't really mean he should sign with an animal clan just for that reason alone. "Guess it's yours, Hinata."

"M-me?" the Hyuga was surprised by the turn of events, "Why me?"

"Why not, you've got a water affinity. They could probably teach you stuff other Suiton users don't know," Naruto added. He was guessing but who was to say it wasn't the truth.

"But what would my clan say ... What would my father say?" here her head lowered and her team winced. Both of them knew that even with her improvement in confidence the girl's father still cast a pretty big shadow of influence over her. Even with Anko explaining the reasons for her learning techniques outside the clan's teachings quite a few of the more traditional Hyuga Clan members of the Main Family who were set in their ways had not been pleased with the decision. The way people thought rarely ever changed overnight.

"Look, kid, I don't wanna come between you and your family, I try to stay the hell away from clan business altogether," especially when it came to a village's noble clans. "But you have to ask yourself; is not learning this really that big of a deal? Ninja who don't branch out become stagnant, plateau and then become dead weight. Those who do branch out are not only more likely to live longer but also end up being someone others can rely on to watch their backs on the battlefield. I'm not saying you should rely on your summons, Kami-sama knows how some hate that," the toad chief popping into his head as he said this, "but wouldn't it be better to have an ace up your sleeve if things go south and everything else fails? Think about it."

Hinata stayed quiet as she pondered the man's words. But Jiraiya smirked as he saw her grip on the scroll become tighter if the whitening of her hands were anything to go buy. Part of him wondered if he should have gone into sales in if the world wasn't so messed up as it was. The man had a feeling he'd have retired long ago, on a beach filled with buxom beauties catering to his every need and desire, " _Hmm, that actually doesn't sound half bad,_ " the man jotted down the idea for future material while the Genin returned to work.

* * *

(Sometime Later)

"Oh, thank Kami you brats are alright," Anko pulled her students into a tight embrace. The act scaring her Genin for one simple reason: Anko never hugged, ever.

"You okay, Anko-sensei?" Ino asked before she yelped out, "Ow!"

"That's for scaring the hell out of me, Blondie!" Anko frowned before doing the same to Hinata and making her yelp as well, "You too, Pale Eyes!"

" _And she's back,_ "the Genin thought as the woman they knew, loved and feared returned to them. "What are they doing here?" Naruto nudged his head in the direction of the two surviving Kiri ninja. Both were bound with ninja wire and Zabuza was missing his sword. The man looked pissed too and Naruto didn't doubt his missing weapon was the reason why. That and he was being held prisoner.

"These two have some explaining to do. But first," Anko marched over and took off the dragon mask from the fake hunter ninja. The face of a young and beautiful girl wasn't what Anko had expected to see. " _Better than a heavily scarred face or one that only a mother could love,"_ she thought.

"Hey, I know you! You're Haku from the other day!" Sakura recalled the girl.

"You know her, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked and blushed lightly as Haku smiled at him. He had to admit Haku was very pretty. Unbeknownst to him his teammate gained an impassive look and Naruto's **Detect Killing Intent** **Skill** briefly flared up.

" _Oh-ho, the Hyuga's got a crush on him, and a jealous streak, too,_ " the Toad Sage couldn't help the smirk silently appear on his face. The boy really did take after his father.

"Yeah, I know her," the Sakura explained how she came across the pink kimono wearing individual. "She was collecting herbs and I thought I'd help. I didn't think much about helping her at the time."

"… Actually, I'm a boy," Haku corrected the pink haired kunoichi, much to everyone's surprise, with Zabuza being excluded of course.

"WHAT!? But you're prettier than Sakura and Ino?" the proclamation got him looks of pity from Kakashi and Jiraiya. There was a sentence that was guaranteed to earn you an ass whopping.

"HEY!" both kunoichi looked murderous at the moment and Naruto felt like he was staring at two predators that were ready to rip him apart piece by piece. The blond was saved by the Inuzuka heir's laugh.

"No, you're not," Kiba smirked and gained looks from the other ninja. "You can fool those guys but you can't fool my nose. Right, partner," Kiba earned a bark of agreement from the white ninken.

"Soooo, she _is_ a girl?" Tsunami slowly asked.

"No, I'm boy," Haku rebuked calmly.

"Nooooo, you're a chick. You can't lie to an Inuzuka's nose, babe," Kiba confirmed.

"I'm a boy," Haku countered back strongly.

"Girl."

"Boy."

"Girl."

"Boy!"

"Girl!"

"BOY!"

"GIRL!"

"Alright, enough of this shit!" Anko decided there was only one way to settle all this. Which in typical Anko fashion meant invasion of privacy and personal space. Anko appeared next to the ninja and to the astonishment of everyone present, proceeded to grope the ninja on the chest and nether regions.

Zabuza was left stunned by the act, along with Sakura and the civilians of the house. Kiba as well as Sasuke were wide-eyed, and to a lesser extent Hinata. Ino and Naruto however, were not all that affected by the act due to them being used to Anko's odd tendencies.

"Okay, analysis complete; two boobs and no measuring stick. You're a girl, case solved," Anko announced and removed her hands from the now identified female.

"… Is she always like this?" the missing ninja had heard rumors about the woman's reputation but seeing it was completely different.

"You don't want to know," Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Anko's Genin informed the man.

"Alright, so spill. What's with the whole denying you're a chick crap?" Anko asked red-faced kunoichi.

"Be-ccause I'm not?" a still blushing and highly embarrassed Haku informed her. Never before had someone ever touched the ninja in such a way.

Anko blinked once and twice before she looked at Zabuza, "What the hell do you do to her?"

"Me? I did fuck all!" the man ignored the look Tsunami gave him as she covered her son's ears. "I raised Haku to be who he was."

"She," Anko corrected the man before a thought suddenly crossed her mind, "Wait? Have you been calling her a 'he' the whole time you raised her?" she asked.

"Yeah, so?" the man received incredulous looks from everyone, "Hey, ask me to raise a boy, no problem. I don't know how the hell to raise girls. Don't bother asking what I did when puberty came along," the women in the house could only imagine and sent the man dirty looks.

"So rather than learning how to deal with it you pussied out and thought it would be ok to raise your gender confused tool as a boy. Well, good going, dumbass. Your excellent parenting skills have made Haku into a transgender."

"A trans-what?" the man had no idea what the woman was talking about.

"Transgender. Someone who's born genetically as a male or female but identifies themselves as the opposite gender due to their own choice, or in this case, upbringing," Anko explained. "So while she lacks the tool downstairs she doesn't see herself as a girl but a boy," the woman stopped as she gave Haku a look over, "a very feminine and attractive bishounen type boy you'd love to have your way with day and night, but a boy nonetheless," the last comment earned the woman a variety of looks ranging from shock to slightly perversion. Jiraiya was taking notes and was pretty damn happy he had come across Anko's summon.

Zabuza merely looked annoyed, and slightly befuddled, "And this is bad why?" the man didn't really see a problem with all this really. If Haku was okay with acting and identifying himself as a boy it was no skin off his nose. Plus it allowed him to dodge the whole feminine crap despite the monthly visitor. No way was Haku going to see any boys soon. Not on his watch.

"Wait, I'm confused, so if Haku's a girl," Naruto ignored Haku's rebuke, "but sees himself as a dude, what does that mean if he's attracted to guys? Does that mean she's, he, gay or straight? Or-" Naruto stopped when Jiraiya decided to cut in.

"Kid, take it from me, the more you think about it the more it hurts the head. You're better off not thinking too deeply into it," the man advised and many in the room decided to agree with the man. It was too damn confusing.

"Speaking from experience, Pervert?" Anko smirked as she saw the man stiffen briefly.

"Let's change the subject and talk about the elephant in the room," the man gave the haughty looking woman the stink eye before he looked at the group once more, "As it stands, Nami is free from Gato's clutches. What happens now determines whether you two stay alive or not," Jiraiya looked at the two Kiri ninja. "No offense but you two did try and kill Tazuna here and only switched sides when Gato and Kisame backstabbed you. What's stopping you from killing him when someone else sets their eye on this place?"

Tazuna and his family paled at the notion. None of them had actually thought of that scenario. Gato and his thugs were taken care of but what was stopping another tyrant from doing the exact same thing as he did?

Zabuza merely scoffed, "This may shock you, old man," Jiraiya twitched at the jab, "but unlike the walking fishstick I don't do betrayal."

"Tell that to your Bingo Book profile," Anko shot back.

Zabuza didn't say anything but knew the woman had a point. The man wasn't about to say anything but knew that the Konoha ninja had all the cards at the moment, "Look, I'll admit I betrayed my Kage but that's only because that son of a bitch betrayed us first!"

The younger ninja were confused by the declaration, but the seasoned ninja were intrigued and allowed the man to explain, "I don't know all the details and reasons but ever since the first Great War a lot of people in Kiri developed a fear of ninja with bloodline limits. Somehow some morons started believing that those with bloodline limits were the ones causing the wars-," Zabuza continued.

"Yeah, yeah, we all know this story. It's not uncommon knowledge despite Mizu's state of lockdown," Anko interjected and prevented everyone from hearing the boring history lesson.

"Yeah, well did you also know the Fourth Mizukage only made it worse? At first, it wasn't that big a deal and nothing more than distrust. There were more people who didn't believe in that crap than those that did. Then that little shit Yagura was put into office and went on to say that those with bloodline limits _were_ the cause of the wars. Didn't help that the Kaguya Clan decided to attack Kiri and take down nearly a third of our ninja population before we stopped them," the man himself had been a newly initiated member of the swordsmen during the twilight years of the Third Great War when the battle took place.

It had been a bloodbath that only served to break the camel's back. The Kaguya had not been an easy clan to deal with despite their savagery and lust of slaughter in battle. When it came to fighting they were also effective tacticians and strategists rather than the stereotypical dumb and battle prone bandits. This was a clan that had survived the Era of Warring States, a nearly millennia old bloody period in history that had seen the end of countless clans and bloodlines. And while the Kaguya didn't have the same number of members back when they first joined Kiri, or the same number with awakened bloodline limits, their fearsome battle prowess hadn't waned in the least. The fighting had lasted three days before the last of the Kaguya were brought down but by then the damage had been done and many in Kiri started to believe in Yagura's words.

"After all that everything went to hell," Zabuza growled, making the ninja except Jiraiya and Kakashi to tighten their stance. The chakra suppression seals and reinforced chakra wire the Sannin had placed on him assured that he was not going to go anywhere or do anything. But it was better to be safe than sorry. "People started fighting one another, clans with bloodlines were being persecuted and slaughtered into extinction or forced into hiding. Even those who helped them were cut down!" Zabuza spared a short

The Yuki Clan, much like the Hozuki Clan and Kaguya Clan, had been a powerful clan of Kiri before the Bloodline Purge took place. The Hozuki and Yuki being two of the founding clan's of Kiri. The Purge had done a terrific job, in a horrible way, at reducing their numbers. Haku's mother had been one of the smart ones and went into hiding before it all happened. Even then it ended up for nothing. Sad as it was, Haku was most likely one of the few remaining members of the Yuki Clan, if not the very last.

"I'm all for a fight but when I fight I do it for a reason and for a cause. I'll fucking kill out of duty and personal vengeance but I will never kill if there's no grounds for it!" the man shouted, his breathing becoming rough and heavy as he looked at the group. Due to past exploits the Seven Swordsmen had that reputation, and members both old and new were labeled as merciless butchers the moment they became one.

"That's what the Bloodline Purge was all about. Nothing more than killing for the sake of killing, and the only purpose it had was to make us weak! Kiri was being destroyed, I had to do something!" Zabuza said.

"And you had the brilliant idea of thinking if you cut down the head honcho it would end it all?" Jiraiya thought the man a complete idiot if he thought he could go against a Kage and win. He could respect his dedication to his village, but stupid was still stupid. Especially if said Kage had been a jinchuriki with complete control over his Biju. At least if the intel given to him was accurate. Judging by the man's look Jiraiya surmised Zabuza knew it had been a stupid idea in the end, too. "Well, can't say I blame you for trying, even if you did fail spectacularly at your job."

Zabuza scowled at the man but otherwise he remained silent.

"But I believe you," the man added.

"Come again?" Ino didn't believe him to be serious, her teacher being just as skeptical as her student.

"When you've been around for as long as I have you pick up a few things and your judge of character becomes sharper than most," the man explained.

" _Yeah, and the fact that I subtlety injected my own cocktail of truth serum swimming through his veins had nothing to do with it either,_ " Anko shook her head. Such concoctions weren't all that effective on shinobi compared to torture and a Yamanaka's mind walk, especially healthy and strong ones such as Zabuza. But if weakened it worked well and they were more open to talk than they normally would be.

"But I've got my eye on you two, and the sword stays with me and the seals stay on until I say so. Unless you'd rather be left hogtied in the basement and until the hunter ninja arrive?" the man hit the nail on the head as the Kiri ninja let out a frustrated growl.

"We don't have a basement," Tazuna's comment caused the ninja face fault at his stupidity.

"Remind me to never take you gambling, old man. What I just did was called a bluff; it's what we ninja do. Secondly, making you a basement wouldn't be that hard to do really with a simple Doton technique," the man rolled his eyes in annoyance while Tsunami shook her head. Her father was going to be laying off the alcohol for the next little while. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, where's Gato?" Zabuza growled, "That little shit's got a lot to pay for," not only for the backstabbing but also because he knew Gozu and Meizu were probably dead because of him hiring Kisame. The man had an inkling Kisame was the cause of their sudden disappearance. The thought of the traitorous swordsman only made him even angrier, both because of the second betrayal and loss of his men, and because Kisame hadn't lost his edge either since his defection. If anything the man only grew much stronger since they last met one another. Zabuza angrily knew that while he had not slouched around during his time with the Resistance he had not improved all that much ether.

"Sorry to say, but he's indisposed of at the moment. You won't be seeing him ever again," the comment earned Jiraiya a frustrated sigh from the man. "But if it will make you feel any less bitchy, here's the pay he owed you and a little extra," the white haired ninja tossed Zabuza a scroll that was easily caught by the swordsman. "But if you ever target Konoha shinobi or Nami ever again, you'll wish you never crossed me, boy," the man emphasized his intent by releasing a potent burst of chakra and made the man go completely stiff as he saw his own death in various ways. "Got it?"

"Got it," Zabuza wasn't going to argue. The stunt Jiraiya pulled pushed away all doubt about the man not living up the reputation of a powerful ninja. Were they to fight each other Zabuza had the distinct impression he would have his ass handed to him on a silver platter. This was a man who had gone against the legendary Hattori Hanzo of Ame and lived. Few could boast such a thing. The only man stranger than Hanzo at the time had been the Sannin's teacher himself.

"Alright then," the man's demeanor did a complete one eighty, "Now that that's settled we can move on to making sure Nami's properly taken care of and better prepared so this doesn't happen again. You two are gonna help and make up for attacking these guys," Jiraiya gave both Kiri ninja a look that left no room for argument.

"Yeah, you guys have fun doing that. My team and I are done our mission so after a few days we're outta here," Anko informed the group. "Our job was to make sure Gato was taken care of and acting as your backup. Hatake and his grunts' job last I recall is to guard Tazuna until the bridge was done," she cackled as the other team realized what they meant. "Finally kicking in ain't it. You guys are gonna be here for a while. Enjoy! I'm gonna go sleep my ass off, momma's earned it."

"Kakashi-sensei, I don't ask for a whole lot but for the love of Kami, please tell me we're not staying that long!" Kiba practically begged the man.

"Unfortunately, we have no choice. Had we brought Tazuna back to Konoha before all this happened we could have left. Even though Tazuna lied, nearly got us killed, and essentially rendered the contract null and void," each word only served to make the elderly bridge builder feel worse, "since we didn't report back to the Hokage to work out another contract and decided to complete the mission anyway despite said lie we have no choice but to complete this one."

"So because we continued on despite being misled we're forced to complete the mission?" Sasuke asked in a disbelieving and angry tone. Kakashi shrugged and blamed politics for the fine print of it all. The boy only became angrier when his teacher more or less gave him the answer. Sasuke wasn't all that knowledgeable on bridges but it didn't take a genius to know they'd be stuck in Nami for quite some time.

"Are you kidding me? This is bullshit!" Kiba howled at the unfairness of it all. Fine print, bureaucracy, and politics were a pain in the ass. Kiba didn't want any part of it if all they did was cause unnecessary work. "Can't we just say we failed?"

"We could," Kakashi nodded and Kiba looked hopeful, "but purposely failing a mission just because we didn't want to do it anymore results in us being put on temporary suspension. In some cases, it also means being demoted to a lower rank, for you guys it would mean losing your headbands."

"So either way, we're fucked and stuck here until the old man bridge is done. Greeaaaat," the Inuzuka really hated his job at the moment and wished they had turned back when they had the opportunity. C-Rank turned A-Rank, maybe even S-Rank, boasting or not this sucked balls.

"Welcome to the life of a Genin, kid. I'd say it gets better but it doesn't," Jiraiya barked out a laugh as Kiba took a swing at him. The Inuzuka was quick but for a ninja of Jiraiya's caliber he was more or less moving in slow motion.

* * *

(A Few Days Later)

The time that passed by in Nami was much more easy going compared to the past week or so. The people of Nami no longer looked depressed or hostile towards one another. With their food supply from the Underground Lake feeding the masses and fishermen allowed back into the ocean the populace was slowly getting back to their feet.

But even then it was far from joyful as it seemed. While many celebrated the fact that they were finally free from Gato's tyranny, others were in no mood to partake in the festivities. Families were broken, homes were lost, and many wouldn't be seeing or regaining either one of them. Gato's rule ended, yes, but even then the man's actions would continue to plague and haunt others for the rest of their lives. Some would finally come to terms with it, others would struggle, and some would not. Several villagers had come asking them for help in finding their lost family members and Anko, Kakashi and Jiraiya had been forced deal with them. None made promises, as there was no information or leads telling them where they were in the first place.

"Is there anything we can do about it?" Naruto asked his teacher and merely shook her head.

"As much as I'd like to Naruto, there isn't," Anko replied sadly and rubbed the spot where Jiraiya applied the new seal around the curse mark.

Even with the new seal Anko still felt the itch in the back of her mind. It was like a soothing voice that made her feel at ease and promised protection and strength. Evidently the potion she had taken had not only strengthened and unlocked the seal but also changed the way it tried to make her give into its dark power. Anko remembered the rush of euphoria and power that pulsed through her as the kunoichi's skills and senses had been increased to their utmost peeks, the feeling of invincibility.

It had been a sensation she had long since forgotten, almost lost even. Jiraiya had informed her that the seal he applied hadn't been absolute. On the plus side even with it sealed away Anko felt stronger than she used to be. It was as if some of her old talent had been set loose. The bad news was that contrast to the imperfect version of the seal she originally had the stunt she had pulled resulted in the newer version being stronger than ever. And it wasn't going to go dormant any time soon. The seal expert had given her a few tag seals should she need them. Better safe than sorry he had said despite her willpower.

"Anko-sensei?" Hinata called out, "Are you alright?"

"Hmm, fine, it's nothing," the woman dismissed her student's worry. Anko was the one meant to worry, not the students. Then again Anko wasn't your blue collar Jonin teacher, or ninja really. "Anyway, brats, we need to keep looking. As good as everything is some of Gato's men might still be hiding somewhere. Not all of them were cowards and some could pose a threat if left alone."

That had been the reason why the group hadn't head out after the battle. That and they didn't want to arouse suspicion that they up and rearing to go while the others were still recovering. But Anko had made a good point. Better they stay a little while longer and make sure all the bad element was gone than regret it later.

The group continued to take a look around before Naruto spotted an odd statue at the edge of Nami, away from prying eyes. The moment he moved towards it and placed his hand on the large fish like monument did something wonderful happen.

* * *

 **Congratulations! You've discovered a significant landmark!**

 **As a result and due to your benign reputation with Nami no Kuni you've unlocked the ability to [Fast Travel] between villages!**

 **[Fast Travel]**

 **This is a unique and very useful ability that allows one to instantly travel from one location to another no matter how far the distance. There are some exceptions; however. A downside is that one cannot fast travel to a hostile or neutral settlement, cannot do so during combat, and cannot do it if said village is under attack or landmark is destroyed.**

* * *

"Fast Travel? What's that?" Anko asked.

"Something very useful, Anko-sensei," Naruto laughed and smiled at their luck. "Fast travel basically allows us to move one place to another, no matter how large the distance, instantly."

All three kunoichi were floored by the revelation. The applications of such an ability opened up a lot of possibilities, "Does this mean we don't have to walk all the way back to Konoha?"

"Nope," Naruto grinned.

"What do you mean, nope?" Ino thought he said they could.

"Huh? No, I meant nope as in we don't have to walk, not nope as in we do have to walk," Naruto explained.

"So we don't have to walk?" Hinata asked.

"Yes," Naruto answered.

"Yes as in no, or yes as in yes?" Anko questioned.

"WE DON'T HAVE TO WALK, OKAY!" Naruto wasn't going to repeat himself. "This ability will allow us to leave and be in Konoha within seconds."

"So does that mean it's like the Yondaime's Hiraishin no Jutsu, Naruto-kun," Hinata asked with a hint of worry. "Doesn't that mean others could do the same?"

" _Kami, I hope not,_ " Anko knew how deadly the Hiraishin was. The woman had seen it being used in the last Great War by the Yondaime. Entire platoons were downed in seconds before they knew what happened. A person could blink only to see the enemy fall down lifelessly. The last thing they needed was the enemy knowing the technique, and Anko was concerned this Asageo might somehow know it.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure it's due to my ability, Hinata. Besides it doesn't work that way," Naruto began to explain, "Fast travel's usually only possible if your relationship with another location is above Neutral and if you've found an important landmark. Otherwise it won't work."

"So there's no way it could be weaponized?" Anko was relieved when the boy shook his head. There was one less thing to worry about, "Oh, thank, Kami."

"So does this mean we can go home now? With Hotto's nose, Naruto's **Tracking** **Skill** and **Detection** **Skill** , and Hinata's Byakugan I'm pretty sure everything's solid at the moment. We haven't come across anyone since we began searching three days ago," was Ino's argument.

"You just wanna blow the money you earned in the malls," Naruto smirked all knowingly, ignoring Anko's comment of "what money?"

"Hey, what Ino does with Ino's money is none of your business, Whiskers," Ino gave the boy a face that was met with his own.

"Alright, lovebirds break it up. Look, we'll search for a couple more hours but if nothing shows up send Jiraiya and Kakashi a clone to inform em and we'll start heading out. Sound good?"

All three Genin merely smiled or grinned, and despite wanting to look serious Anko couldn't help let herself smirk. The bragging rights she'd get would be awesome, too. How many Genin actually got to go and accomplish an A-Rank mission turned S-Rank?

* * *

(Meanwhile)

The short man felt a twinge of fear, perhaps even more than a twinge, as he felt himself being harshly dragged to an unknown area. Whoever that short haired bitch was had messed up with the wrong man. And he'd make sure she'd suffer for it. All it would take was to find out who had him and with a bit of persuasion and bribery, he'd be on his way.

Feeling himself being forced to the ground, Gato soon felt the back that covered his face being taken off and glared at the men. His glare soon turned to confusion as he saw the suits they wore, elegant and high-end quality ones if he even saw them.

"Gato, Gato, Gato. What I'm I going to do with you?" a voice from the darkness chuckled.

Fear gripped his heart like a vice as he heard the voice. The short man saw a fancy suit wearing individual, a bald head with an intricate tattoo, and eating from a hot pot. To the man's left was a pipe with intricate designs, and in his hands were a series of rings with various characters on them. It didn't take a genius to know who the man was, and that Gato was most likely never living the place alive.

"Harukichi-sama!" a fearful Gato stuttered.

Why wouldn't he? Before him was the Supreme Godfather of the Yakuza. A man that had raised Gato and later betrayed.

* * *

 **Hear you all are guys. Also I reached 3000 REVIEWS!**

 **Few can claim to have that many reviews, and I wanna thank you all for that. Please continue to give me a ton more as always, it's a weakness and a muse, and post any ideas you think could help in the reviews. I will try to post the next chapter on Sunday, but please reviews tons, 80-90, take a look at my polls and I will try to post it then. I'm trying to focus on the Harry Potter/Gamer.**

 **It will be my first attempt at a Harry Potter story.**

 **Also for any transgenders, I am not making fun or anything. Personally I don't care if a person is gay, lesbian, bi, trans or whatever, I merely wanted to try something different and tried to base the scene on how others not really used to such a thing would react. Some would be confused and curious and that involves questions others don't know how to answer or feel comfortable to talk about.**

 **Also go to Michma13 at deviantart and go to journals to get a better look at the characters, creatures, and gear used. Links on all Autho Profiles don't work anymore. So I found a way around it.**

 **Thank you!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: And on the Seventh Day**

"So… you got your ass handed to you by a bunch of wet behind the ears little Genin?" Kisame didn't have to be psychic to know the man was mocking him. If his partner didn't kill him like he was known to then the blue skinned ninja was going to do it himself. He was no torture expert but he definitely was going to make it a slow and agonizing experience.

If this was the idiocy that Kakuzu had to deal with on regular basis Kisame didn't blame the second oldest member of the group for one offing them, "You got shit in your ears, or are you missing a few brain cells? I said I was facing two teams! One of em was led by Orochimaru's former apprentice and the other by Hatake Kakashi. They had an unknown with em that clearly wasn't a Genin. He was probably a disguised Anbu member. Kid was skilled given the amount of power he put into those techniques of his. Nothing I couldn't really handle had a fucking Sannin not shown up. Had to choice but to bolt."

The man that mocked Kisame wisely kept his mouth shut. Even he knew the reputation and prowess of any of the Sannin was not to be taken lightly. Their leader frowned as he processed this, "Reports have come through and informed us Jiraiya the Toad Sage has been asking about us. How much he knows remains unknown and I wish for it to remain that way until we are ready," Pain knew that Akatsuki was a powerful group but they still lacked vital information and resources.

Some of their members had also yet to cross the boundaries between Jonin to Kage, or only just recently crossed it. Many possessed unique skills that were incredibly useful but they still needed experience when facing superior opponents. "This "Genin" you faced…. How powerful would you say he is?"

"Ninjutsu wise he's pretty damned skilled. His reserves are nothing to laugh at either. Give him a good teacher in ninjutsu and in a few years he'll be a force to be reckoned with. He's a power type fighter for sure. Though he lacks finesse and control over his techniques to make em truly devastating. The kid was wasting a good amount of chakra in his techniques despite how lethal they were. Decent and highly unorthodox strategist as well," the boy was the first Kisame encountered to let himself get hit by a technique just to set up a trap. "Probably knows some seals too."

"Did he have blond hair and whisker marks?" the man's partner solemnly asked.

"Couldn't tell. The kid wore armor that covered his face and head," though their meeting was brief Kisame had good observational skills despite his crash and bash approach to fighting. "Could have been him but don't quote me on it. Didn't see a charka shroud."

"It's probably not him then. Last I heard the Kyubi Jinchuriki was considered a shoe in for the title of Dead Last. Showed no talent at all in anything except for pranks," Itachi commented. Most likely it was a disguised Anbu like Kisame thought him to be. Itachi and others were pretty powerful at that age so it wasn't that big a stretch for another to have appeared. Itachi knew his partner looked forward to testing his mettle against him if they met again.

"A Dead Last jinchiruki? Man, I knew people tended to hate their guts but Konoha really fucked themselves over with that one," Kakuzu's partner laughed. Kumo was the exception when it involved jinchuriki but even then there were a minority who feared and hated them.

"Indeed. But their foolishness is our gain," Pain stated. The weaker the jinchuriki was, the easier it would be to capture them. And the easier it would be to achieve their goal.

* * *

 **(Elsewhere)**

"You're heading back already?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yeah. We did our sweep and Anko-sensei's pretty sure none of Gato's thugs are around anymore," it had been three days after all since they began looking for any of Gato's thugs. Some would be smarter but even then none of them would be talented enough to avoid capture or being sensed by them. Especially when they had familiars with enhanced senses and his maxed out **Observe Skill.** "Why? You guys find anything?"

The Toad Sage shook his head. "Not a damn thing. Looks like you and your teammates got them all when you stormed the place. Tell sensei I'll see him in five days, kid, maybe even a week at most. Don't want a repeat to happen so I'll be setting up some protection around this place at key points."

"Don't forget: you and Jiji owe me an explanation when you get back!" the ninja stated.

The man released a sigh at the reminder, "I know, kid. Here, give it to sensei," the man fished out a scroll and handed it to his godson. The boy merely nodded and then disappeared in a whirl of wind and leaves.

" _Don't worry, Naruto, you'll get one_ ," Jiraiya owed his student's son that much. The man hadn't been a big part of his life since he was born, the only gift he had ever left him, secretly, of course, was a small toad wallet from years back. Jiraiya knew of the hardships the boy would endure and had endured; more than once Jiraiya had been the cause of a few bad elements against him to "disappear", but even then he felt it wasn't enough.

 **xoXOXox**

The travel back to Konoha had been as expected: swift. Much to the surprise of Hiruzen who believed it would have taken the group considerably much longer. Once more the man had been left speechless at the potential and power of Naruto's **Gamer** ability. He'd been rendered even more speechless when she gave in her report and her account of the events that occurred. Despite his impassive look during the whole of it, it didn't take a genius to know the man hadn't been pleased.

"And that's pretty much what happened, Hokage-sama," Anko finished her mission debrief with a bit of worry. The man in front of her had his eyes closed and was massaging his temples as though he was fighting off a migraine. The man had begun doing it half way into the debrief, and it didn't look like he was ready to stop anytime soon. Anko didn't know if the man was pissed or worried by the way he was acting, but she guessed it was better than him shouting. Even then she knew it wouldn't be her fault because of it, merely an outlet for the anger.

" _Oh, man, Kakashi's really gonna get it when he gets back,_ " of that Anko had no doubts. The grinding that man would get wouldn't be pretty either. But if it got the lazy ass back into shape and got him to start teaching his Genin properly then so be it.

"Hah," Hiruzen released a deep sigh as he processed everything. "Part of me is disappointed on how this turned out, and wants to give out punishment," he said, making all members of the team, even the Jonin, gulped at the statement.

"However, given how I was aware such a mission had the potential of spiraling out of control and you were merely following my orders as commanded, completing your mission no less, too, I can only say, well done," the man smiled and watched as the ninja and ninken exhaled in relief. "As of now, you're all relieved of any missions for the next week. You've all earned it," the man's announcement soon followed up with him giving them their pay.

* * *

 **[QUEST COMPLETED!]**

 **A or B but definitely not C!**

 **Main Quest 1: Assist Team Seven in protecting Tazuna! (COMPLETED)**

 **Main Quest 2: Gather as much information and evidence on Gato! (COMPLETED)**

 **Side Quest: Assist the inhabitants of Nami no Kuni! (COMPLETED)**

 **Hidden Objective 1: Discover and conquer Nami no Kuni's dungeon! (COMPLETED)**

 **Hidden Objective 2: Insure that Zabuza and Haku live! (COMPLETED)**

 **Hidden Objective 3: Discover Fast Travel Land Mark! (COMPLETED)**

 **Hidden Objective 4: Defeat or stale Kisame until help arrives! (COMPLETED)**

 **Total Rewards:**

 **54,000 EXP**

 **750,000 Ryo**

 **17 Attribute Points**

 **Exalted Reputation with Nami no Kuni**

 **+25% Additional discounts from all Nami no Kuni Stores/Merchants**

 **+1500 REP with Konoha**

 **+1000 REP with Asagao, Haku, Zabuza**

 **+500 REP with Team Seven, Team Eight, and Kiri's Resistance**

 **Nami no Kuni Dungeon and Fast Travel Unlocked**

 **-500 REP with Kisame**

* * *

 **Your current level has increased to level 29!**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Level: 29 Next Level: 2374/36,300**

 **HP: 6000**

 **CP: 9225**

 **STR: 115**

 **VIT: 197**

 **DEX: 181**

 **INT: 291**

 **WIS: 120**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 115**

 **Attribute Points: 37**

* * *

" _Uber Sweet!_ " Naruto thought as he saw the level up and eagerly grabbed the pay from his surrogate grandfather. "Hey, wait? No more missions for a week! That's-"

"Is very generous of you, Hokage-sama. Thank you," Ino bowed to her leader while the kunai concealed by her form and Naruto's threatened to pierce the loudmouth's spine. "Well, if that's all we'll be going now. Bye!"

Hiruzen could only blink as the two blonds, followed by their teammate, teacher, and ninken, disappeared from his sight. " _Maybe I should have given the team set up some more thought,_ " being the only male on his team, the man could only imagine what Naruto was about to go through at the moment.

Oh, well. It wasn't his problem.

"Hokage-sama! There's some more paperwork for you," Mariko announced, making the man want to cry.

Paperwork was his problem.

While the Hokage was lamenting his situation, Team Eight left the building and looked at the beautiful day they had. "Okay, fine no missions, yeesh! You can take that kunai outta my spine now!"

"That's one option," Ino nodded but otherwise held the kunai in place.

"Blondie, as much as I love seeing you put my teachings to good use put it away," Naruto grumbled as the woman smirked, "You can torture and have your way with him some other time."

"Spoilsport," the Yamanaka groused and put away her kunai. "So what do we do now?"

"Don't know, don't care at the moment," was all Anko said. "Is what I would say if I was a slacker like Kakashi," she cackled and making them all shiver with worry. "But seriously, though. I think we can take a break from training for the next few days," Anko also didn't bother to tell them that she needed to come up with some new material to teach her students as well.

Partially because she had yet to figure _what_ to teach her brats and how she was gonna confront the fact that her seal was up and running again. The woman needed to adjust to her increase in power, too. Her students were pretty good, but Anko wasn't dumb enough to not realize it was blind fucking luck than skill that saved their asses. They were learning much more quickly thanks to her methods, and due to Naruto's ability, but not enough in her mind. The woman was gonna have to do some serious thinking on the matter, and on her curse seal.

The thought made her chuckle. The old Anko would have rather died than use the dark hickey her master gave her. This Anko, however, was someone who sucked it up when it came to the welfare of her team. She didn't have the luxury or desire to be influenced by moral dilemmas.

"So... we're to do whatever? That's all I needed to hear! Laters!" Ino declared before she flickered away.

"Someone's eager to blow her money," Anko commented. The woman never could understand the need for shopping sprees and clothes outside of missions. She could act the part during missions but it had a habit of making her feel uncomfortable, "Ah, well, not my problem. Enjoy your time off, kiddoes. Anko's out!" no sooner had the words left did she disappear out of sight and leaving both Naruto and Hinata alone.

"So… What do you wanna do, Hinata?" Naruto asked out of the blue.

Normally Hinata would have loved to hear that, but, unfortunately, she had family matters to see to, "Sorry, Naruto-kun. Tou-sama said I needed to see him as soon as I returned."

"Oh, okay. See ya later then," he waved off his remaining teammate and was left alone with his ninken. "So, what now?" the boy had handed off the scroll Jiraiya gave him a while ago but the discussion wouldn't begin until the Toad Sage arrived. Which wouldn't be in a week or so. There was that **Primordial Dungeon** he could return to, but Naruto decided to wait a while before he tackled that. He was certainly strong enough now due to the large boost in level ups and skills.

" _Guess I can take a look into that house quest now,_ " he certainly had the money for it, more than enough he believed. There was no harm in looking into it until he could figure out what to do next.

 **xoXOXox**

As luck would have it, Naruto learned that the Konoha Real Estate and Construction wasn't all that far from the Hokage Tower. A mere five-minute walk the old civilian way as there was no need to rush. The building was fairly medium in size and very traditional looking, a stark contrast to its interior, which was a blend of modern and traditional. Though it had a great emphasis on the modern aspect.

"Welcome, to Konoha Real Esta-… What are _you_ doing here?" Naruto could practically hear the emphasis the man put on the word. The man's action irked the jinchuriki.

"Looking for a good time. What's it look like genius?! I'm trying to find a bigger place," Naruto shot back and earning himself a few dirty looks.

 **Your lack of tact has resulted in a loss of 100 REP with Konoha Real Estate and Construction**

 **Your lack of tact has resulted in a loss of 150 REP with Konoha Populace**

" _Shit!_ " Naruto was kicking himself as he saw the screen. Knowing he was a jinchuriki of the Kyubi allowed him to know why others hated him; ignorance in fear of matters they didn't understand. Naruto somewhat understood the reason, but it didn't' really mean he accepted it.

"You're looking for a place to live?" was the man's skeptical reply. "You're an orphan. How the hell are you gonna afford it?"

Naruto once more had to reel in his anger and desire to lash out at the man before him, "Look, I got the money from saving over the years and the amount of missions I've done so far. C and B rank ones," the mention of missions he performed got the man to perk up. "So are we doing this or not?"

The man remained silent for a few moments before he released a sigh, "You better not be pulling my leg, kid. If this turns out to be one of your pranks you aren't gonna like it. What are you looking for anyway?"

"Something affordable but big and wide enough to run around," Naruto stated.

"So cheap, huh?" the man should have known. "Alright, wait here a sec."

Naruto, however, didn't need to wait all that long, as the man returned only a few minutes later. "Alright, so here's how it works. We rank our lots the same way ninja rank their missions. D having the basic necessities but are the lowest and need quite a bit of work and isn't exactly eye candy with S being the one with all the works and comforts and more. D lots range from 750,000 Ryo to 1,250,000 Ryo in today's economy. Cs are over one million to above two million and so on and so forth. Here's what we have available."

Naruto immediately put away the S, A and some of the B-rank lots away due to being too pricy for him. The boy mainly focused his attention on the lower tier lots due to his budget constraint. He had well over two million ryo, maybe a little more due to his latest mission but Naruto wasn't going to spend it all at once. He wasn't Ino.

Naruto gazed into the lots for a good ten minutes before he found one that was to his needs. It wasn't the most fetching and the outside looked like it would need some spit and polish but it was near the woods and big enough for Hotto to run around and everything inside was working properly and up to date, "How about this one?"

* * *

 **(A Few Days Later)**

"Come on! Hurry up!" Naruto shouted at his team. It had been a hassle to get both Ino and Anko to come along. Both had been busy at the time but Naruto's persistence won out in the end. Iruka, Yugao and Hayate being nowhere to be found so they would be informed later.

"Naruto, what's so important that you had to show … us?" Ino ended the sentence with a tone of complete surprise as she gazed upon the sight before her. She wasn't the only one.

"So? What do you think?" Naruto grinned. Ino continued to remain speechless, an act that was mimicked by her fellow kunoichi. "Awesome, ain't it?"

"It's definitely something," was all Anko could say. What could she say really?

The plot area was very large, was surrounded by a dens foray of trees and undergrowth. The lawn looked healthy but was in great need of a cut. Ino also saw a dried up pond that needed maintenance. The house itself was, for a lack of better words, very rustic and in need of a patch job. The style of the structure was an old style one that was used mostly by the older clans such as the Hyuga and Uchiha but without the charm the clans' buildings possessed. But Ino summed up her thoughts in five words.

"What a piece of shit!"

"Hey!" the blond felt insulted, "That's my house, dattebayo!"

"Don't care! You're house is a piece of shit," the Yamanaka stood firm with her answer. "How much did this cost you?"

Naruto nonchalantly shrugged as he told them the number, "One point one million," the three kunoichi were floored.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Anko and Ino's shout started a ringing in his ears; Hinata couldn't help but do a perfect impression of a fish.

"How could spend so much money on this dump?!" a floored Ino could think of better ways to spend such a large amount of money.

"Blame him," Naruto pointed at the ninken behind him. The dog was running around the wide-open space, and all the while he was chasing a butterfly for the pure fun of it. "Kiba's mom said Hotto's gonna be huge when he's older and we all know what that's gonna look like," the three kunoichi had a clear picture and didn't need to be told twice. "My apartment's great and all but it's small for just the two of us. Look, I know it's not all that great to look at. But with a little work and a lot of clones I can make this place work."

Anko admired his optimism but sadly had to introduce a little dose of reality, "Yeah, I'm not sure how it works in video games but building houses is different in the real world. You're gonna need to be knowledgeable on plumbing, electrical work, landscaping, the whole shebang if you're gonna make it truly liveable. Clones are great and all for landscaping and the grunt work, but a bunch of the other stuff can only be learned from tradesmen and civilian schools. Even with your ability, it's not exactly something you can learn from a book."

"…Uh-oh," it was then that Naruto realized he might have rushed into things a bit. Sure all the electrical wiring and plumbing were up to code - at least, he hoped so – but Naruto knew nothing about manipulating them if he wanted to make some adjustments.

 **For not thinking ahead, your WIS and INT have decreased by 1!**

"OH, COME ON!" the sudden yell would have startled the kunoichi had they also not seen the pop-up.

"You got no one to blame but yourself, gaki. Now if that's everything, I got shit to do," the woman excused herself and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Ino soon left in the same manner while Hinata was more polite than the other kunoichi of her team.

Scowling, Naruto kicked a small rock with enough force that it lodged itself into a nearby tree. The blond was far from pleased and knew he had to fix this as quickly as he could. Unfortunately, Naruto did really trust some of the villagers to properly fix his house without overcharging him.

"Good thing this laptop's wireless," Naruto couldn't help but admire the work that was put into the machine before he began typing.

 **O.N.:** "This is O.N. Need some help here."

 **AAH Manager:** "How can I help you today?"

 **O.N.:** "Looking to hire some people to help renovate my new home."

 **AAH Manager: "…** I would try using some local tradesmen."

 **O.N.: "** Not that simple. I don't trust the villagers. Need some outside help and need it done fast and discreetly."

 **AAH Manager:** "Now that I can help with. As luck would have it, a small and isolated country in Mizu no Kuni has many skilled tradesmen. I wouldn't have recommended them at first, but sources have it that they were recently relieved of a small problem," Naruto couldn't believe what he was reading but otherwise continued writing.

 **O.N.:** "Yeah, heard about that. Also heard their bridge project would take a couple of months. Some fight between ninja or something."

 **AAH Manager:** "You're well informed. True, the bridge will take time to be completed. Normally, you'd also need to pay for labour, materials, overtime, and protection from the journey there and back. Price also varies on the level of work you want done, too."

 **O.N.:** "Normally?"

 **AAH Manager:** "We have eyes and ears everywhere, Mister Uzumaki. Lucky for you the bridge should be done in a week's time, two at the latest. Hatake Kakashi has been using **Shadow Clones** and having his Genin help speed things along. The people of Nami also feel indebted to you and your team so I think they'd be eager to help. We'll send an anonymous message along but it will take time for them to get back at you."

Naruto sighed. The blond would have preferred it to be done quickly but didn't want it to be completed half-assed either. " _Ya gotta take what you can get,_ " he thought before he typed his response.

 **O.N.:** "Thanks for the help."

 **AAH Manager:** "No problem. However, we aren't a charity and the information totals up to five thousand ryo."

"OH, SON OF A BIT-" Naruto honestly should have known; the Abyss made its living off information and trade. Getting advice for free was counter-productive and not a decent way to make a living. Paying the fee, Naruto left the spacious room and went outside. If anything he'd try to complete whatever he was able to. The buy was hasty, true, but Naruto was determined to make it work.

* * *

 **(A Few Days Later)**

"Fucking hell!" a curse sung out in the clearing. The intensity carried with it scaring the local wildlife. Anko was far from happy at the moment. Once more she attempted to use a technique, molding the proper chakra ratio needed, only for it to fall flat and stop.

"God damn!" the woman continued to fume, her anger flaring and her seal pulsing lightly as a result. While grateful for the return of her power, Anko lamented the cost that came with it. Her body reacted too quickly for her to properly comprehend what was happening, and much of her techniques were lacking in finesse and control. In short, Mitarashi Anko felt out of synch with herself and the woman did not like it one little bit. More than a few days had passed since her team's return, and, by that time, Anko believed she would have gotten a hold on everything by now.

" _Shit! It's gonna take me a month or two before I'm back in the game. Shit-fuck!_ " in close to two months time the Chunin Exams would begin. Anko had been hoping to use that time to train and take her team on a few missions. Even with Konoha having the home field advantage, the Chunin Exams were no walk in the park. They were designed to test a ninja both mentally and physically. The exams were done to promote peace and competition between others as a substitute for war, and to show off the village's current stock of ninja, too.

But Anko knew better than to assume it would be a fair game. The other villages would be sending their very best, and some would send their ace Genin, too. Some of them being trained to kill with little hesitation compared to others. It was more or less done to scope out the competition, and eliminate those that would be seen as a potential threat down the line.

Anko had fully intended to prepare her team for that time. Even if they were the best Genin team of their graduation lot it meant nothing without the proper training and skills. As she was now, she would not be able to do much in training them. " _There's only one thing I can do. Hope they're up for it,_ " as she was leaving the training ground the woman also hoped that her leader would allow her to go through with the plan, too. Otherwise, they would not be prepared for what was the come.

* * *

 **(A Few Moments Later)**

"You are certain of this, Anko?" Hiruzen asked the woman.

"One hundred percent. I wouldn't be recommending it otherwise, Hokage-sama," by the look in Anko's eye the man knew she was not pulling his leg.

"But why now of all times, and why that area of all places? Certainly, there must be others better suited?" he could understand the reasons behind it and while they were ninja they were still children. Gifted – in a matter of speaking – and better prepared than most their age but children still.

"Hokage-sama, this is to better prepare them for the future. We both know the Chunin Exams are just around the corner. I want them ready for whatever's going to be thrown at them," Hiruzen couldn't deny the logic. Even though the intent of the exams was to promote peace and unity, accidents or designs happened nonetheless during the exams. It was also another way to showcase which village had the better stock of ninja both mentally and physically.

This meant better prestige, better clients, more missions, and more money. Essentially, the Chunin Exams were used to help bolster the economy of a village, and the country they represented. As such it was not uncommon for some villages to play dirty and send in their aces, or hold back teams a year and give them rigorous training that made them stand out. Essentially it was done to dominate the events and make the competition look bad by comparison. Konoha didn't do such things, despite Danzo and a few wanting to do so otherwise. A few, such as Gai, however, did hold their teams back an exam due to lack of proper skill and experience.

"And you're worried that not doing this will put them at risk?" he asked her. If she felt they weren't ready then there was always next year. But given their progress and record, it would be more beneficial if they participated and demonstrated their skill against the opposition.

"Maybe, maybe not. I'd rather be safe than sorry and regret not doing all I could for the squirts. My powers are out of synch so I can't train them properly or push them without accidently injuring them beyond their means," the thought of any one of them getting killed or badly hurt because she didn't do enough was unsettling. Hiruzen found it ironic how Anko of all people would take the position of Jonin instructor so seriously compared to others. Naruto really did have a way of getting people to open up to him if given the chance. "Plus I want em to kick ass, too. Bragging rights and all," she grinned and Hiruzen chuckled.

The man didn't doubt it was also a reason. Having been a former teacher as well he knew it all too well. By the end of their first exam, the man had bragging rights coming up the wazoo due to how well Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru performed. They had literally dominated the exams and put many to shame. All three were very gifted and Hiruzen had pounded everything they knew into their heads. Jiraiya's especially thick one, too.

" _I still don't understand how others believed he was the Dead Last. If anything he was average in academics, especially compared to his teammates, but well above in everything else,_ " the tradition of placing the Dead Last with the Kunoichi of the Year and Rookie of the Year hadn't come into practice until a few years after his team graduated the academy. Though due to his habits and the way his teammates conducted themselves it was no wonder many believed Jiraiya had been the Dead Last.

"Hokage-sama?"

"Ah! Sorry, Anko, I was lost in thought. You've given me quite a bit to think on and I'll need some time to think it over. I'll let you know my answer as soon as I can," Anko nodded albeit reluctantly. It wasn't a refusal but it wasn't an approval either so it could go either way. "In the meantime, enjoy your time off. I have another meeting to see to."

Anko honestly wished she could. Even she didn't want to worry about her team and tried to unwind, the woman couldn't help but think about their well-being, "Ugh, I need a drink," she groaned and hoped to clear her head. Or at least get hammered enough to forget her troubles. "Hey, gaki," Anko greeted her passing student.

Seeing his teacher, but also noticing the mood she was in, Naruto gave a small greeting before he continued on. Even then he wondered why she went to see the Old Man. The Kyubi jinchuriki was cut off from his thoughts as a voice called out.

"Enter," Hiruzen ordered as he sensed the boy's presence. Hiruzen was no sensor but due to the amount of time spent with him the elderly man was very familiar with Naruto's signature "Thank you for seeing me, Naruto-kun."

"Isn't that the other way around, Jiji?" Hiruzen had the decency to cough. It was true after all. "Where's the Pervert?"

"God damn it, Anko!" a voice suddenly cursed the boy's teacher. Naruto was caught off guard by the noise that came out of nowhere. Seconds later he saw Jiraiya's form and his face scrunched up with displeasure. The man was lowly muttering something about disrespectful brats and their pupils. "Where's your mutt?"

"Holding down the fort back home. So, spill already," Naruto forwent the niceties. He had been patient long enough.

 **Due to your lack of tact-**

Naruto ignored the message that appeared. His reputation with the Hokage was pretty damn close to the highest level possible so a few points lost was no big loss.

Hiruzen remained impassive and had it been anyone else other than a select few he would have reprimanded him or her. But the elderly village leader knew that Naruto was pissed, had a right to be, and had a right to know, too. Hiruzen didn't regret it, though. Naruto was slowly coming into his own but for his own safety, the man didn't regret the lie if it meant keeping Kushina and Minato's legacy alive.

"To begin, a small history lesson is in order. During the years of the Era of Warring States, numerous shinobi clans existed. Many of which perished while others flourished and became well known far and wide. The two most powerful, the Uchiha and Senju Clans, founded Konoha along with their ally clans and those affiliated with them," Naruto looked like he wanted to interrupt what was believed to be useless information but a stern look from the Toad Sage told him to stay quiet.

"What many don't know today is that a third clan assisted in Konoha's creation: the Uzumaki Clan of Uzu no Kuni. Your mother's clan," the man elaborated.

"Ha! So you did know about my mother!" an angry Naruto accused the man. "I knew it! I fucking knew it! I asked you tons of times and you lied about it, but I just freakin knew it! I fuckin knew it!"

"And the lie was for good reason, brat!" Jiraiya butted in. "When you were born we made a tough call and had all knowledge of them sealed away or destroyed. It wasn't exactly what you'd call an easy decision. The Uzumaki Clan were a clan of unrivaled seal masters and were the envy of many others. And by many, I mean a shit ton of people. Even today the chances of finding someone more skilled than one of them in seals are slim to none. If people knew you were related to your mother you'd have been killed like the rest of your clan," the official story in Konoha was that Naruto was only given Kushina's name to honor the fallen kunoichi. Only a few that weren't close to her knew Kushina had been pregnant after all. The rest that were in knowhow were either her closest friends or the higher ups. Most of them were now dead, however.

"Huh?" though anger was still surging through him, the declaration left Naruto confused. "What do you mean?"

"It's exactly like it sounds, kid. The Uzumaki Clan is gone. Kaput! Their fame in seals and their relationship with the Senju Clan and Konoha made em a lot of enemies. They were wiped in the Second World War; barring the few survivors like your mom. Uzu was an isolated and small country, but their natural defenses and the seals the clan used made it very difficult to reach. In the end, though they brought down a ton of the opposition, it still wasn't enough," Jiraiya still remembered the incident like it was yesterday.

"Why the hell did their relationship with the Senju clan play a role?" seals Naruto could understand, as his Gamer ability allowed him to know that seals could do certain things ordinary ninja skills couldn't. The most advanced ones apparently could warp time and space and even change uninhabitable terrains into habitable ones. However, Naruto was nowhere that level of skill.

"Because the Senju and Uzumaki were cousin clans. Don't know all the details but apparently, the two come from the same ancestor. Members of both clans are known for their vitality and large chakra reserves, too," here the man let off a humorless laugh. "Some of history's most powerful ninja came from the Senju Clan. Senju Hashirama, my former master, was the most powerful ninja of his time. Years after his death no ninja has ever surpassed his might. The Uzumaki didn't have any ninja on the same level but they were regarding as one of the clans with the closest potential due to their relationship. The enemy feared that the Uzumaki would someday reach that potential and acted pre-emptively out of fear. As irony would have it, the Senju Clan perished during the Second War, too. When it was over, I did some additional searching whenever I could. But as far as the world was concerned, Kushina was the only Uzumaki left," a fate she shared with her cousin, Tsunade.

"Understand this, Naruto, Uzu and Konoha were allies and we tried to help Uzu as best we could," Naruto saw the sincere but pained look in the man's face and his tone of voice never waivered to indicate he was lying. At least it showed him that Konoha didn't abandon his clan in their time of need.

"However, we were facing our own problems as well. By the time we could amass a decent amount of ninja, it was, to our shame, too late. Once we arrived everything was destroyed or beyond saving. What remained of the opposing ninja villages had been forced to retreat when they saw us," Hiruzen still remembered the rage he felt that day as he and his men slaughtered those that tried to give their fleeing comrades ample time to escape.

"Ultimately, their heavy losses forced them to withdraw from the war. War is costly and the amount of fighters lost during other battles and the Uzu Invasion left them with little choice. The only thing we could do for the clan members was give them a proper burial and make certain none of their teachings fell into the wrong hands," what he and his men had retrieved had been minimal at best. Much of which were common and the odd unknown sealing techniques that were intergraded in Konoha's defenses. Hiruzen had no doubt in his mind the more valuable Uzumaki possessions were either destroyed or specially sealed somewhere only an Uzumaki would be able to have access to.

"Your mother was a child during that time and visiting Mito-sama. She was an old family member of Kushina that lived in Konoha. When the war ended and with no place left to go she had no choice but to stay. When Mito-sama passed away we kept a close eye on her until she became old enough and strong enough to look after herself. She earned a fairly decent reputation during the Third World War. It earned herself a few admirers in the process and many enemies, too. We never found out who your father was when she became pregnant. She died protecting you from the Kyubi during that fateful night. She used her own body to shield you from harm even though she'd just given birth. She loved you that much," Hiruzen couldn't help as a few tears forced themselves out of his eyes.

The man wasn't the only one in the room to show such emotion. Jiraiya was a veteran who last many friends during the war, but every time he heard this it always got to him. It brought forth so many memories about the woman he eventually saw as a daughter and the man who was like the son he never had. Naruto's face was clouded but the small pool that gathered beneath him made it obvious he was shedding more than his fair share. While the Gamer's Mind prevented the psychological trauma potentially associated with emotions, Naruto still felt the emotion nonetheless.

"Fuck. This sucks!" for years Naruto wondered if his parents lived him, or abandoned him like yesterday's trash. Now that he knew his mother loved him to the point of sacrificing her life, Naruto didn't really know how to process it. He was angry, sad, and happy all at the same time.

"I hear ya, kid. I hear ya," Jiraiya could understand the boy's pain.

Naruto continued to let off some steam and let the tears flow for a number of minutes. Sometime afterward, Naruto took some deep breaths before he asked, "What did she look like?"

Rather than describe her, Jiraiya took out a scroll and with a puff he handed Naruto a photo album. "Your mom's the red head. She was quite the spitfire when she was your age. You two are a lot alike actually. Pranks, ramen, fighting; you even have her attack first and think later attitude along with her desire to become Hokage. All you lack is the Uzumaki Clan's hair," the look Naruto give forced him to elaborate, "Common trait in the clan was red hair."

"Ah. Sounds like you knew my mom pretty well," a curious Naruto noticed.

"Yeah, you could say that. Kushina got me good with a few of her pranks over the years. Pretty damn creative ones, too," not to mention humiliating as hell. "I took an interest in her when I noticed she was practicing seals. I'll tell ya, I never met a kid more fascinated or gifted in the art of seals than her," Hiruzen and Jiraiya knew Minato was the only one that came close to her level. But gifted as he was in the obscure field, the boy's skill in Fuinjutsu didn't come close to Kushina's own. Minato's gift was more in Space-Time ninjutsu and speed. Hiruzen stifled a chuckle as he recalled the many times Kushina scolded them like a schoolyard teacher whenever they made errors.

"I actually learned a few things about seals from her as a result. If it weren't for her, I'd have plateaued long ago. Too few masters in seals are around these days, unfortunately. Damn shame. Many would have benefited from her teachings… assuming they didn't piss her off and could handle her methods," the man chuckled and Naruto smiled a bit. "I don't doubt she'd have done the same for you, kid."

Naruto nodded at the man and flipped the page in the photo album, "Team Kickass?" the boy read the writing above an old photo.

Here Hiruzen chuckled, "Your mother's name for her old Genin Team. I believed she said the name Team 14 sounded too bland and lame. Especially since they were the first all kunoichi team in years."

"These are her teammates? Are they still around?!" the boy hoped.

A sigh escaped Hiruzen's mouth and Naruto saw a sad look cross his withered face, "Regrettably, all of them are no longer with us. She may have told her teammates but both passed away some years ago. Even if they were told, I know neither one would have mentioned a word of it to anyone. This went double for her teacher. I would know because she was my wife."

"Your wife taught my mom?" Naruto couldn't believe it.

"Hai. And much like your mother, my beloved Biwako died on that fateful night as well," Naruto felt bad for asking and looked back down at the picture.

Biwako was in the background with her arms crossed, a serious look adorned her features but she had the makings of a light smile. His mother was grinning and holding up the victory sign. To her right was a young blue haired and shy girl who looked like she wanted to get away from the camera. On her left was an onyx haired girl who looked slightly annoyed but beheld an arrogant smirk that was all too familiar to him.

"Hey. This girl wouldn't be from the Uchiha Clan, would she?" Naruto asked.

"Good eye, kid. That you see there is Uchiha Mikoto, and the wallflower is Hyuga Hikari. Along with your mother all three of em would grow up to be the some of the strongest kunoichi of their generation. Turned into some real beauties, too," the man giggled but dodged series of kunai and shuriken.

"No bad thinking about my mom, Ero-sennin!" kami only knew what the man was thinking. "You said they were close, right?"

"Very. Even after they married and began to have families of their own they remained close. Mikoto is none other than Sasuke-kun's mother, while Hikari is Hinata's," Naruto's eyes widened at that. Upon looking more closely he couldn't deny the uncanny resemblance. Hinata was almost a splitting image of her mom, minus the long hair, and it was a no brainer knowing where Sasuke got his smirk.

"Did mom leave anything behind?"

"Not much. Kushina was initially only meant to be here for a short period of time. Much of Konoha was destroyed when she passed away and her home was one of the many that were left in ruins. All we managed to find were some of her notes here and there. The rest were destroyed beyond salvaging," here Hiruzen pulled out a deep blue scroll with the Uzumaki Clan symbol. "There isn't much but this is all she had. No will was found, but then again it could have been destroyed. But as her only child everything she had goes to you," the only exception being the money she earned during her time as a ninja.

Common procedure in a ninja village was locating next of kin and giving them what was left. When no kin was made available the money and artifacts were put into storage in the village treasury for a period of time. Sometimes it was done in case the last kin was too young to know about their lineage and given to them once they matured. However, if none were discovered or showed up after ten years then it permanently became a part of the village.

But Jiraiya had informed the man that he would rectify it. The amount of money he had due to his past missions, along with being Konoha's Spymaster, and his Icha Icha books, was quite extensive. Jiraiya wasn't nearly as wealthy as any of the Great Five Daimyos, but he was easily as wealthy as some of the minor ones.

"Thanks, Jiji," Naruto held the scroll close to his chest, as if he feared it being taken away from him. With what he needed done, Naruto asked of he could be excused.

"You may. But before you go, Naruto-kun. I would like you to keep this knowledge to yourself. Strong as you are at the moment there are others that are many times more powerful than you. Some would not hesitate to come after you if they knew you were Kushina's son," by this he meant by reputation of the woman herself and her Uzumaki lineage.

"But!" Naruto received a stern look from the man. Naruto's anger towards the man was burning once more. "Fine. But when can I tell others?"

Thinking about it, Hiruzen became pensive before he answered, "In two or three months time the Chunin Exams will take place. If you manage to perform well and demonstrate the necessary qualities of becoming a Chunin … I will grant you permission to talk about it," truthfully the man preferred if the boy made Jonin before telling him. Others would think twice when facing a Jonin compared to a Chunin. However, Hiruzen had made himself promise that he would tell the boy everything when he became a Chunin.

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **The Chunin Exams!**

 **Main Quest 1: Pass the First Half of the Chunin Exams!**

 **Main Quest 2: Pass the Second Half of the Chunin Exams!**

 **Side Quest: Be promoted to Chunin Rank**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Potential Rewards**

 **Main Quest 1: 10,000 EXP, +1 Attribute Points, Reputation with Konoha Increases by 500!**

 **Main Quest 2: 20,000 EXP, +2 Attribute Points, Reputation with Konoha Increases by 750!**

 **Side Quest: 15,000 EXP, +4 Attribute Points, Reputation with Konoha Increases by 1000, and Promoted to Chunin!**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Hidden Objective: ?**

 **Failure: 2500 EXP, Potential chance of Death or Permanent Crippling Injury Status Effect to you or team members, Unable to speak about your family ties, Must wait six months before retaking test, ?, ?**

 **(YES/NO)**

* * *

The Gamer didn't think twice about his decision and eagerly accepted the quest. Afterwards, Naruto thanked both men and left the room. The boy had some things to do after all.

"All in all, that went pretty well. Don't ya think?" Jiraiya looked at his former teacher. Truthfully he though Naruto's outburst would have been worse. The boy was much more collected than his mother was at that age.

"Oh, right! Theresh one more ting!" Hiruzen resisted the urge to face palm as he saw the slightly intoxicated Jonin of Team 8. A drunk Anko was worse than a sober Anko; Drunk Anko led to many more headaches in his opinion.

"How the hell is she drunk?! She's only been gone for twelve minutes!" Jiraiya could help but wonder.

 **(A Few Days Later)**

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," Naruto sulked. The irony wasn't lost on him considering he wanted to do more missions and training beforehand. The boy realized he probably should have made the most of it while it lasted. Then again, he did recently buy a worn down house that needed more than some spit and polish. Thank kami for Shadow Clones. But the additional repairs and maintenance that were needed were beyond him would take a while. It was liveable as it had working electricity and indoor plumbing, but it was far from being eye candy. For that to happen walls and pipes would have to be torn down, moved and altered. It wasn't the ideal home, but it was good for now and the use of Shadow Clones for certain repairs helped make it a bit more homely.

"What you'd guys do?"

"Otou-san believed I should take it easy so I relaxed," Hinata informed. It had been strange seeing her father react the way he did when he was informed the mission had turned into an S-rank one. The look he bore had not been one Hinata was used to seeing. It had been one of relief, anger, confusion and, dare she say it, pride all in one.

"Can't complain. So, what do ya think?" Ino asked the team.

"Think of what?" Naruto didn't know where she was going with this.

"My shoes. Duh?" the blonde stuck her legs out to show them. "Nice, huh?"

"Uh, sure," Naruto honestly had no idea how to respond. Shoes were shoes in his opinion. "You think they're practical though? I mean, they don't really look like they're made for combat," sure they were above the knees and not bad looking but that was about it.

"Really?"

On instinct, Naruto blocked the first strike that was inches from striking him. The second strike was forced him block with his metal protected glove. But the whisker-marked boy felt a large tingle in his limb and heard the sound of a clang. As though metal had struck metal.

"Still think they're not combat appropriate?" Ino smirked. Her shoes more or less remained the same but now had metal-like plates on them. From all the sides of the sole Naruto saw a thin blade that took on the form of a spade.

"Whoa!" was all he could say.

"Whoa, is right. Mom knew someone from the old days that now specializes in making kunoichi gear: lethal and fashionable. People wouldn't think much of em, underestimate those who wore these beauties and then soon regret it once they had a better look at what they could do," Ino explained.

"Oh, yeah. I know that place. Stuff they make ain't as good as Tetsu's but they come damn close. And they have stuff all kunoichi should have when it comes to certain aspects," by that Anko meant enhancing sex appeal and making infiltration missions easier. The woman had gone there quite a few times to prepare for certain missions. "Even if they're pricy as hell, the stuff's worth the money."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Ino had spent nearly two-thirds of her mission money on the bloody things due to the specs and other fees. That was with her using the chakra metal to help reduce the price. They were nice and all, but the amount of clothes she could have bought with that amount of money would have been large. Especially when it came to the top designer ones.

"Right, enough about fashion. Hope you guys enjoyed your time off cuz now we'll be taking it up a notch. And by that I mean I'm gonna be pushing you brats till you puke till you drop," the thought was as unappealing as it was disgusting.

"Really? Awesome!" an ecstatic Naruto cheered. His team members were less than enthusiastic. Had she not been used to him, Ino would have wondered what kind of person wanted to be pushed to the point of hurling?

"What is it, Anko-sensei?" Hinata noticed her teacher's look.

"I'll be frank with you brats. My powers are out of whack at the moment and I need a tune up," Naruto and Ino scoffed at how lightly the comment was.

All of the knew that due to her sudden and unexpected large boost in level and power, Anko's skills had gone up a notch. As of now she was considered a Jonin Elite, even if it was only a low tier. Naruto believed she'd be a middle tier one if she used the seal. Normally this was good and all but a side effect was Anko's control over her skills taking a noticeable nosedive. Right now her techniques were either too weak or overpowered. The last time she used the **Dokkaso no Justu** (Poison Lust Claw Technique) it nearly ended up felling a giant tree in one go. However, the empowered acidic properties ended up causing it to fall a few moments later and turned the stump into goo.

"So, I managed to get Hokage-sama to take the team off the active roster for the next little while. Which means no missions," Anko ignored Naruto's whining. "The Chunin exams are in two to three months away and my job is to make sure you four are up for the task," with the Chunin Exams being a hectic time period the start date had an odd habit of suddenly changing.

"How are you gonna do that if you can't exactly train us?" Ino asked her.

"Simple. For the next month or so you'll be doing a combination of intense survival training and technique refinement. I spoke with your clan heads and managed to get their permission to carry it out," not that it had been an easy venture. Two of her wards were children of the clan heads after all. "If any days are remaining after we're done we'll be using them to relax and prepare. Any questions?"

Ino was the first to asked, "Why survival and refinement training, Anko-sensei?"

"Easy. But first, what's the difference between a master and a beginner?" the question was unexpected but the group answered as best they could.

"More experience, and being wiser?" was Naruto's reply.

"True to the first, not always to the second," Anko knew plenty of older ninja that were lacking in the wisdom department.

"More techniques?" Ino stated.

"Not always but close enough to where I'm going," she conceded that a master generally had more techniques, "Now the difference between beginners and masters are this: beginners can know had to use a technique but a master not only has complete control over it but knows how to use it in several effective ways. You've all got a large amount of techniques and abilities but I'm pretty sure you've yet to increase them at a decent level? Or even master them, right?"

All three Genin looked bashful, even Hottomaru looked bashful.

"That's the big difference between a master and a beginner. Knowing a bunch of skills is good and all but if you can't use them properly then you're better off not knowing them," having the odd technique here or there such as a minor medical technique that didn't really fit your style was the exception. Anko didn't know a lot of techniques compared to Kakashi and the Sandaime, but she knew enough. And the woman had mastered all of them to the point she could perform them with little thought.

Ino could understand where Anko was going with this and merely nodded her head, "Okay, cool, I get that. But why are we learning about survival training?" with Naruto's ability it was kind of redundant.

"Because the Gaki's not always gonna be here to fall back on," Ino swore the woman read her mind, "When a ninja's promoted to Chunin the team usually splits ups when enough experience is gained," there was the odd cases like the Ino-Shika-Cho where the team stayed together but even then they didn't perform every mission together. It was also done in case they were promoted to Jonin down the line.

"Where we going?" Naruto asked.

"Initially I was gonna have you use the Forest of Death but Hokage-sama thought it would be unwise," Anko forwent telling them about the political shit storm that would occur if it was found out a team used it before the exams started. Ninja didn't play fair but even then there was a line that shouldn't be crossed a times. Anko also was not a paperwork person and avoided politics as much as she possibly could.

"Which is why we're gonna using one of your dungeons, gaki. Whatcha got for us?"

"Didn't you just say-"

"Yes, yes. I'm aware of the irony of using your ability in order to not become dependent on it. Shut the hell up!" the woman didn't like that crap being pointed out. Ino and Naruto merely smirked while Hinata giggled. Hotto scratched his ears.

"Ok, let's see… What's this?"

* * *

 **Primordial World Dungeon: Stone Age**

This version Primordial World Dungeon is set during an ancient time where the weather was constantly shifting and various but dangerous creatures were abundant. The Stone Age symbolizes the day when man first began using primitive but effective tools to make their lives easier. During this period in time, many had to be creative, careful and use whatever means to survive using rudimentary tools and resources. The presence of chakra was limited in this time but dense clusters would cause mutations that would ultimately lead to rapid evolution in many species: this lead to the development of modern man, fauna, flaura and summons.

 **Dungeon Details**

This is an open world dungeon with a day and night cycle.

Certain creatures only appear at night and are stronger and give better resources

No safe zones are available unless they are created

The levels of NPCs vary from region to region and will respawn more quickly

* * *

"All right," Anko believed it to be the perfect dungeon for her team.

"Can't believed we're gonna be spending a month or two in this place," Ino's face twisted into her known frown. Then again it could be worse. "Well, at least we'll have our stuff."

"Yeah… about that," Anko smiled all too unpleasantly.

"Oh, hell no! You're telling us we're going to a place full of kami knows what kind of creatures, limited resources, without any gear or food?" the Yamanaka didn't believe it.

"In those words, yes. Oh, you'll also be wearing these specially made **Chakra Suppression Seals** , too," Anko added.

"Are you nuts!" was Naruto's reply. Even then he already knew the answer to his own question. "Limited tools and food I get, but why our chakra?"

"Because the world isn't like the Era of Warring States anymore. Back then techniques that allowed us to know who was a ninja based on chakra levels wasn't all that uncommon. It was much easier to get your target back then. Now, however, people are better informed and better prepared. A common practice nowadays is Daimyos and other nobles or a dignitary is having guards that are highly skilled sensors. Getting close to target without alerting them is important. There will come a time where you'll be forced to go undercover with your chakra suppressed and take on a new identity in order to complete a mission. There will also come a time where you'll be forced to use your survival skills to… well, survive," Anko explained.

"I don't think I'll be having that problem, Anko-sensei," if it sounded arrogant, Naruto didn't mean it to. With his ability to store items it was an actual fact.

Anko knew he had a point, "True. But what if you suddenly find yourself unable to use it anymore?" from what she learned from the Abyss Manager it was highly unlikely but Naruto didn't know that. The look on his face also proved her point.

During some infiltration missions, ninja normally forwent wearing their headbands so their home didn't get into trouble if one of them was caught. That's why skilled sensors were quite valuable to anyone - be it a village or noble - as they possessed the ability to know who was a civilian and who was a ninja. Though rare the very best of sensors possessed the ability to know when a ninja was using the **Chakra Suppression Technique**. These kinds of ninja often resulted in the immediate failure of an infiltration mission. Usually, the mission was called off as a result for risk of being caught. When a ninja village was believed to have had a hand during an infiltration mission they suffered nasty consequences. Even with his chakra suppressed Anko knew that Naruto's chakra level would still be greater than most.

"Don't worry, these seals are specially made by the Pervert himself. Think of them as an on and off switch with me being the one controlling the switch," Anko herself wasn't going to be wearing it. Her goal was trying to get her skills back up to par and having no chakra to do that was counter productive. "Besides, I'm being kind. Rather than suppress your chakra completely these seals will merely bring down your current reserves. Enough to live but low enough that using high chakra-consuming techniques ain't all that wise," Naruto groaned as he knew the last part was directed towards him.

As he was the powerhouse of the team, and the one with the most chakra, much of his repertoire of techniques were those that required a decent amount of CP. Naruto barely used the ones that only used small amounts of CP anymore due to being able to use his more powerful ones even more now. Naruto knew it was gonna be an experience that would take some getting used to.

"This open world dungeon will be great for you. It'll force you guys to learn new skills, enhance your physical skills and most of all your creativity. Remember what I said: 'A ninja uses whatever tool or opportunity to win and survive.' This place will push you guys to do just that. But first, hand over your tools, weapons, and your food, too. You can keep the armor but that's it," Anko was being generous in letting them keep their protective clothing.

"Seriously! I just got these!" Ino whined.

"Fine! Keep the shoes, Blondie," it was more armor anyway in Anko's opinion. "Hand over everything else."

Anko almost regretted asking that by the time Naruto finally finished taking out everything that was in his inventory box. " _Oh, thank kami for sealing scrolls,_ " some of it was merely junk but she got rid of them. Though she could have let them keep them the woman knew that Naruto could become quite creative and resourceful when needed. The boy would have to make use of the resources the dungeon provided instead. Once all of it was sealed away, along with the seals placed on them, Naruto used his ability and the group found themselves blinded by a bright light.

Upon opening their eyes they were greeted by the sight of a large and dense forest below them, and upon further inspection did they realize that there was a river flowing nearby. The air was dry and hot and it was only thanks to the shadow of the hanging rock face that the sun wasn't blistering them. In the distance far away from them, Anko spotted a series of snow-covered mountaintops.

"Ok, everything looks good. Here's what's gonna happen. You'll be staying here and surviving while I bring myself back up to speed. You all remember what I taught you about survival training, right?"

"Yes," all three answered. It had been a few months but the group remembered. "Where are you gonna be?"

"Konoha," the woman wasn't surprised by the looks her team was giving her. "Konoha's stretched thin as it is right now and even with how I am I'm still one of the few Jonin available. If I was recovering from an injury that'd be one thing but I can't be off the roster for too long. You guys are Genin so you'll be seen as an exception. Plus I have duties with the T&I Division and if I don't make em squeal then no one will. And since we're short staffed I've also been chosen as one of the exam proctors. I'll come and go and check on you whenever I can but I can't stay too long if I wanna get my skills under control," this was also taking into account of the time difference as well.

"Think of this as another form of training. A Genin needs to know how to become self-reliant. You guys can't and won't always be able to depend on me to solve your problems. I'm training you guys to be better than average and you'll never cross that boundary if I coddle you. Powerful ninja became what they are because they didn't rely solely on their masters. The Pervert told me that the Fourth Hokage became who he was because he experimented, failed, and pushed on till he succeeded," it was one of the reasons why Kage level shinobi was so common during the Era of Warring States. Ever since the villages were formed and peace came and went it became common for shinobi of any village to rely on a more experienced ninja than to find themselves.

"Fine, a month can't be that bad anyway," Naruto believed.

"Actually, in game time that would be a little over one hundred and twenty days," Anko dropped the bomb.

"What! You mean I'll be a hundred and twenty days older!" Ino gawked.

"I can make two hundred forty if you don't stop your bitchin," she threatened. "Besides, think of the advantage you guys will have. I've done this a few times before and I know others who've done it, too. You wanna know what I learned? Fresh Genin and those who've only been on the active roster for less than six months have a sixty-nine percent chance of failing the first part of the exam. The failure rate only goes up as you advance," all three paled at that tidbit of information. "The Chunin Exam isn't to be taken lightly you brats. Other villages will send their top Genin and some of them will have been trained by their best ninja. I don't doubt that some were held back their first year just to come in and try to dominate the whole thing," it hadn't been the first time it happened and certainly wouldn't be the last. "Death is also common in these things and waivers are signed so a village doesn't become responsible if it happens."

"Death's allowed! What the hell kind of exam is this?" Naruto thought it was merely to show off their stuff to prove they could become a Chunin.

"You'll find out when you guys take it yourselves, Gaki," it would have been easy to tell them but it would also hamper their growth potential if she gave them all the answers they wanted. Anko cared for their well-being as both individuals and as ninja. Finding a balance between the two was not easy for a first time Jonin instructor. "But you're lucky I'm being nice. Midori here will be keeping an eye on you from a distance. She'll keep me updated on your progress and whenever I pop by she'll be my source of information."

" **My goal is merely to observe, not to help out or bail you whenever one of you is in trouble,** " there'd be the exception of course but they didn't need to know that. Anko had made it clear that anytime Midori was forced to save one of their asses it would have a consequence whenever Anko came by.

"So with that being said. Have fun, good luck, and **Exit Dungeon!** " Anko waved and then disappeared out of sight.

" **Enjoy yourselves, everyone** ," Midori hissed and then proceeded to slither away. The serpent instantly became camouflaged as she entered the tall grass and with the wind blowing they last track of her.

"We'll… this blows," Ino was the first to speak. "Over one hundred days in kami knows where facing kami knows what without any shopping malls," and then it hit the gossip queen. "No shopping malls… Oh, just kill me now!"

"Oh, god. Calm down, Ino-" little did he knew that Naruto unintentionally entered a forbidden area regarding women.

"Never tell me to calm down! You hear me!" a murderous Ino shouted, forcing Naruto to hide behind Hinata. "Good!" she growled and left to go vent off some steam.

"What did I say?" Naruto hesitantly asked.

"Don't answer him, Hinata!" Ino suddenly declared.

"Gomen, Naruto-kun," Hinata apologized and said nothing.

Naruto couldn't help but groan. With no weapons, minimum chakra, minimum supplies, and a bitchy teammate, this was going to be a long ass dungeon crawl. Naruto couldn't help but contemplate on how long it would be before he succumbed to thoughts of ending his misery.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Level: 24 Next Level: 7517/27,200**

 **HP: (1775/** **1775)**

 **CP: (1075/1075)**

 **STR: 45**

 **VIT: 64 (7) = 71**

 **DEX: 81**

 **INT: 43**

 **WIS: 30**

 **LUK: 27**

 **DEF: 70**

 **Attribute Points: 26**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Yamanaka Ino**

 **Level: 25 Next Level: 17417/28,900**

 **HP: 975**

 **CP: 1025**

 **STR: 39 (5) 44**

 **VIT: 39**

 **DEX: 91 (40) = 131**

 **INT: 41**

 **WIS: 134**

 **LUK: 25**

 **DEF: 10 (55) = 65**

 **Stats Points: 31**

 **Name: Hyuga Hinata**

 **Level: 25 Next Level: 24117/28,900**

 **HP: 1275**

 **CP: 1375**

 **STR: 31**

 **VIT: 47**

 **DEX: 111**

 **INT: 55**

 **WIS: 165**

 **LUK: 22**

 **DEF: 70**

 **Stats: 32**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Mitarashi Anko**

 **Level: 59 Next Level: 61,257/172,000**

 **HP: ?**

 **CP: ?**

 **STR: ?**

 **VIT: ?**

 **DEX: ?**

 **INT: ?**

 **WIS: ?**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: ?**

 **Attribute Points:** 95

* * *

 **I'm back baby! Sorry about the lateness of it all. Here is the next chapter! The next one will have more action and will focus on the team trying to survive in harsh conditions and improve their skills. I will update soon! Next update will be my Harry Potter Gamer and then this one again! Review tons please!**

 **Ps. I've hit over one million views with only 24 chapters! You guys kick ass!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: Walk in the Park … 10,000 Odd Years Ago**

* * *

"Okay, so I think I speak for all of us when I say we need to find a safe place to make camp, right?"

"Don't have to tell me twice. Think you can find us a spot, Hinata?" Ino inquired.

"I can try, but the further I look the more chakra I use," the Hyuga knew the experience was to push their boundaries and make effective usage of what was available to them. She was going to have to be careful on how much chakra she used, "But how are we going make ourselves a shelter without any materials, Ino-chan?"

"... Shit," the Yamanaka cursed for such an oversight.

"What's the big deal? The woods have tons of trees, let's get what we can and take it from there," Naruto told them.

"Trees are good and all, Naruto, but it'll take more than that if we're to survive out here," Ino was no expert when it came to surviving outdoors – she'd take a nice warm house, or a tent, any day of the week – but she knew enough thanks to Anko's training, "We need food, supplies, and weapons to defend ourselves. Luckily for you guys, daddy taught me how to make some pretty strong rope from tree and plant fibres and our hair. Don't ask," she interrupted.

"Alright, so we got one part down. Next, we can try and gather some materials and look for a decent spot for food," Naruto added.

"All right, let's split up and–"

"Bad idea. Major rule about dungeon crawling in a new level or unknown dungeon: never split up unless you're at a ridiculously high level," Naruto chimed in. He was at level twenty-nine but the dungeon they were in had no fixed level. Meaning it could range to very low or very high.

"I-I think Naruto-kun is right, Ino-chan. It's probably best if we stick together until we learn more about our surroundings," the girl added.

"Uh… Yeah, good idea," it would be slower but Ino also wanted to live through the experience, too. "Okay, how about we find that safe zone?"

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Find a Safe Zone**

 **Main Quest: Find a suitable location for the remainder of your stay before nightfall.**

 **Main Quest Completion: 1450 EXP, Safe Zone Created**

 **Failure: 100 EXP, No Safe Zone, Chance of Crippled Status Effect or Death**

 **Quest is Mandatory but can be retaken if failed.**

* * *

"Grrr – Aarf!" the three heard Hotto bark and all three looked in the direction he was barking in.

" **Observe!"** Naruto called out to see what was out there.

* * *

 **Dire Wolf – Lv. 24**

 **HP: 2300**

 **CP: 200**

 **STR: 55**

 **VIT: 92**

 **DEX: 116**

 **INT: 8**

 **WIS: 6**

 **LUK: 38**

 **Defense: 65**

 **Elemental Affinity: None**

 **Perks:**

 **Strength of the Pack:** Effectiveness and Power of Skills increased by 5% for each pack member in the group, Movement Speed increased by 5% for each pack member in the group.

 **Keen-Senses:** +45% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Ancient Wolf Lineage (Attack Dog):** +3 STR, +3 DEX per Lv, +45% Effectiveness & EXP towards Collaboration Techniques and Tracking Skill, +65% Power and Effectiveness towards Biting Techniques

 **Thick Coat:** The benefactor is immune to penalties from wet, and icy environments, Reduces Power and Effectiveness from water and ice based techniques by 30%, -30% decrease in Tolerance towards Fire related techniques

 **Description:** Dire wolves are like regular wolves only dire. Dire wolves are a species of wolf that lived thousands of years ago and were far more aggressive than their modern day cousins, attacking and killing anything they could catch. They could be found singly as lone wolves or in packs numbering three to five. Packs with numbers greater than five dire wolves or more are generally led by stronger and bigger alphas. Dire wolves have keen senses, including a sharp sense of smell, allowing them to track their prey by scent. They could also move stealthily on the hunt, extraordinary so even, allowing them to fight efficiently by surrounding their prey and flanking it to gain an advantage before it had a chance to react.

 **EXP Earned: ? EXP**

 **Drops: ?, ?, ?, ?**

* * *

"Uh-oh," Ino became worried as two more wolves appeared. The Yamanaka released a sigh of relief as no more came forward and counted her blessings.

"Now or never," Naruto said as the first wolf charged at them. Naruto met the predator's charge by tackling it to the ground the moment it lunged itself in the air. With his superior strength, Naruto tossed the wolf into a tree, making it shudder in response, but the wolf was quite sturdy and recovered fairly quickly.

But it was not quick enough to dodge Naruto's vicious jab to the face that sent it spiralling backwards. The creature soon felt an unpleasantly tight pressure on its throat a few seconds later, as Hotto clamped down on it like a vice.

Ino, on the other hand, was keeping her distance from her opponent. Thanks to her armour she had a major boost in speed that allowed her to dodge and outmanoeuvre the ancient wolf. " **Retsukyaku** (Severing Leg)!"

Rushing forward, Ino's armed leg lashed and struck the beast with great force. Her technique, unfortunately, missed the intended target, having aimed for the head, and instead struck the wolf's left leg instead. Despite it all, Ino's technique caused a decent amount of damage and caused it to lose its balance and fall, allowing her to follow up with another technique.

" **Soten Otoshi** (Twin Heavens Drop)!" Flipping forward, the wolf felt Ino's leg fall upon its ribcage; the blade in her armoured leg biting into the flesh and earning a pained whelp as a result. The pain was soon intensified as a second impact struck its now sensitive frame and blood began to flow freely.

The last wolf their remaining teammate was facing growled hatefully at the blue haired kunoichi. The wolf had a noticeable limp and its movements were shaky and forced. Unlike her teammates who used an external fighting style meant for breaking bones, Hinata's Gentle Fist targeted the muscles, organs, and chakra pathways, disabling them in the process.

The act wasn't easy as her fellow kunoichi, as Hinata lacked Ino's natural speed and reflexes. However, the training she had received was enough for Hinata to keep up with the wolf's movements and land some crippling blows on its body. As it was now, the wolf was more or less immobile and any movement it made would merely send it tumbling.

" **Jūken: Tenketsushin** (Gentle Fist: Pressure Point Needle)!" her hand aglow with inner blue light, the Hyuga quickly jabbed a two-fingered strike that struck the beast's forehead. The creature convulsed uncontrollably before it fell to the ground. Its breathing became laboured and its movements erratic before Hinata swiftly ended its misery with a **Shoten** (Palm Bottom) to the head, ending its life and turning it into particles of light.

The girl couldn't help but feel bad for the creature. Upon her return, her father had gifted her with a scroll to be learned on her own accord. As such, the **Jūken: Tenketsushin** was a fairly new technique and her proficiency was way off. The concept was fairly basic, but the technique could be very deadly if properly and if improperly executed.

Normal head blows from the Gentle Fist were designed to render a person unconscious. A strike from the **Jūken: Tenketsushin** , which had more condensed chakra in it despite its smaller form, was meant to make a person's death very swift and as painless as possible when striking a certain area. However, the concept and practice of it all were two different things altogether. Too little chakra wouldn't do anything a normal Juken strike couldn't do, while not enough or too much would put the victim through intense pain rather than end it.

As a kunoichi, Hinata knew she had no choice but to kill. But the girl wasn't one who enjoyed the act and thanked her father for giving her something that would at least make it quick. The sight of the poor creature writhing in pain was unsettling; it didn't deserve such a thing. She knew it was acting more on instinct than intent, but Hinata took deep breaths to calm her down. The former heiress knew she had a ways to go before she would ever use it on a person.

"Hinata, are you okay?" Naruto asked her, his hand on her shoulder putting her at ease.

"H-hai," she nodded.

Naruto frowned, having made that face before himself. He knew she wasn't telling her the whole truth but let would let her sort it out. "What'd you get?"

"Um… a **Dire Wolf Hide,** and **Dire Wolf Meat,** " she said.

"Same with me and Ino," the meat they'd use for food but Naruto wondered how good they'd taste? He also wondered how they'd end up using the hides as well. "Well, it ain't much be at least it's something, right?"

"Not nearly enough if we're gonna survive one hundred and twenty days," was Ino's reply.

Naruto frowned but otherwise said nothing for he knew it was true. Without tools and weapons, or even a decent shelter, they'd have a hard time surviving. "You guys remember the last time Anko-sensei taught us survival training."

"You mean besides the nightmares she gave me?" Ino suppressed a shiver, "Yeah. She said that one of the best places is somewhere that can be easily defended but also has decent resources like a river or trees."

"But she also said that large trees would make a decent one, too, Ino-chan," Hinata remembered the lessons as well.

"Yeah, but don't forget that you're less likely to find things living in trees than in caves, trees aren't as easily defensible," the entrances of a cave could be sealed off to prevent sneak attacks, the same couldn't be said about trees.

"Whine!

"What now?" an annoyed Ino asked before she realized, "Wait… did he just whine?"

"Yeah, he did. Get ready!" Naruto ordered and all four of them huddled up close to another. Hottomaru rarely whined and for him to do so meant that they were about to come face to face with a powerful creature.

"Hrrr."

"Huh?"

"HUUARRRGH!" a bellowing roar was heard as the biggest bear either one of them ever saw came into view. Ino, Hinata, along with Hotto were shaking as the enormous beast entered their line of sight, and Naruto didn't doubt he would be too if his **Gamer's Mind** ability didn't kick in.

" **Observe!"**

* * *

 **Bear King of the Primordial World – Aoashira – Lv. ?**

 **HP: ?**

 **CP: ?**

 **STR: ?**

 **VIT: ?**

 **DEX: ?**

 **INT: ?**

 **WIS: ?**

 **LUK: ?**

 **Defense: ?**

 **Elemental Affinity: ?**

 **Perks:**

?

 **Description: Formerly a short faced bear; this creature underwent a form of mutation that greatly altered its physical appearance. Though not nearly as large as its future descendants, this beast is not to be taken lightly due to its ability to adapt and survive harsh conditions. Armed with powerful legs and forelimbs that its descendent would not inherit, this bear possesses the ability to jump and use its weight to crush its prey or shear them into medallions. Like all bears, this beast is omnivorous and opportunistic, as it will use its intimidating size to scare off and steal food away from others when possible. Due to its size, it prefers to hunt large prey. However, its lumbering and slow speed sometimes makes this difficult. Luckily this creature will only attack if hungry, threatened, or if it feels its territory has been trespassed.**

 **EXP Earned: ?**

 **Drops: ?, ?, ?, ?**

* * *

The description wasn't lying when it said the bear was huge. It was nowhere near Midori's size if she were to transform, but by Naruto's reckoning – and this was while it was on all fours! – It was the size of a large elephant. Its forearms bore a series of wicked spike-like protrusions, almost as if armour was draped over them, and it had long set of claws that liked like it would slice him in half. On its head was red fur in the style of a Mohawk, and in its mouth he noticed there were and set of sharp, yellowish teeth.

"Hrrr!" the bear growled once and swiped its front paw into the ground; the action ripping out dirt and stone alike.

"Guys, back up slowly and don't make any unexpected moves," Naruto told them and proceeded to do just that.

"Are you crazy?!" Ino nearly shouted and the girl winced as the bear roared once more.

"Trust me, Ino. That thing will only attack if we piss it off," had they their weapons and chakra levels it would be a different story.

"Since when are you the bear expert," she rebutted more so out of fright.

"Didn't you read the Status Window?"

"Why would I do that when a freakin bear's in front of me?" that answered the boy's question.

"Ino-chan, we should listen to Naruto-kun. The description said it will only attack if hungry. Lo-look at its mouth," Hinata stated.

Confused, and despite her hesitance, Ino looked at the beast's mouth. Contrast to the red fur on its back, everywhere else was a dark blue. Its muzzle, she noticed, was stained red and dripping. " _It just ate."_

Finally understanding, Ino slowly began to back away from the bear. However, Aoashira released another growl and then stood on its hind legs. The bear king was big before; now it was frighteningly enormous. The simple act made her stop in her tracks, and Ino knew that while she had a speed advantage over the beast thanks to her **Robe of the Sylph** and **Ino'sCustom-Made Kunoichi Legwear** , a good solid blow would not end well for her. Thinking quickly, Ino pulled out a piece of **Dire Wolf Meat** , which was the size of her leg, and made certain the bear spotted it. With all her might, Ino quickly proceeded to toss the piece of flesh as far as she could away from them and hoped her gamble worked.

Luckily, it did and the bear left to find the morsel. The distraction allowed the team to haul ass as fast as they could. All four of them didn't stop running at full tilt for a good hour until they were certain that they were as far away from the area as possible. All of them ignored the beasts and sights that they crossed until they knew they were safe. Bears were solitary beasts and very territorial and their territory was based on their strength and size. A bear of **Aoashira's** girth and height was likely to have an enormous territory.

"Ha… Ha… I … I need a … breather… " Ino gasped, having pushed herself fairly hard. The speed and overall distance they had travelled, up hill and downhill, over various terrains was new to her. Had she paced herself she would be fine, but this had been a full out sprint for your life sort of thing.

Behind her, Hinata and Hotto were fairing just as well as she was. Naruto, the stamina demon that he was, looked relatively well all things considered. Ino would kill to have his stamina at the moment but the girl opted to save her Attribute Points for now.

"Well… that went well?" Naruto tried making light of the situation; all he got in return were some groans and sighs from his teammates. "So we should probably stay clear of that area for now."

"Yeah… sounds … hah…. good," Ino agreed, a notion Hinata and Hotto mimicked.

Looking up, Hinata eyes scanned around and noticed something, "Ano, Naruto-kun, Ino-chan. Look," she motioned behind them. Both blonds turned and it took them a moment to figure out what Hinata was getting at.

"Good eye, Pale Eyes," Hinata blushed at Ino's complement. The Yamanaka was being sincere, too. The area resembled a narrow entrance only canyon, one that was encompassed by a series of high walls of rock too great to climb down without risk of injury or death. Within were various trees and bushes scattered about and at the far end it beheld a large waterfall that created a decent sized basin. Naruto also noticed a winding river that flowed from the pool led downhill and back into the forest and into a nearby lake.

"Well, on the plus side, we found a safe zone," this time Naruto's laugh was joined by the others.

"Talk about luck," Ino couldn't believe it. From almost getting eating by a bear to finding a safe zone, it was unbelievable in her mind.

Mina, we shouldn't be too hasty. Something could be living here," as much as enjoyed their good fortune, Hinata couldn't help but point that out. Both Naruto and Ino knew the girl had a point. The area was good for a safe zone; it had fresh water and it was in an area that could be very defensible. The high rock walls also made it impossible for effective sneak attacks, too. However, if something, or some things, lived here then it meant they'd have to be cleared out.

"Alright, keep your eyes peeled, people. Hinata, think you can spot anything?" Naruto asked.

"I'll try," was her answer. Fortunately, the area wasn't too wide and there weren't that many places to hide from her clan's famous doujutsu. Even with the limited chakra levels she had, her improvement with her Byakugan allowed her greater vision that when she first joined Team 8. Hinata was able to scan the area quite thoroughly as a result without using too much chakra and the young Hyuga found nothing worrying.

"Nothing?" Naruto asked her and released a sigh of relief.

"I wasn't able to see into the cave up ahead, though," Hinata pointed out.

"A cave. Of course there's a cave," Ino muttered. The scene reminding her so much of a cliché horror film Anko made her watch.

"Hotto and I will check it out," Naruto informed the two before he and his ninken moved towards the entrance. With his enhanced senses, Hotto led the way; the striped ninken sniffing the air, the ground, and even the plants to look for any signs of life that might be nearby and just waiting to pounce on them.

Upon reaching the entrance, Hotto's stance remained the same and Naruto didn't see a noticeable change in his behaviour. Entering the cave, having been deemed safe by the ninja dog, the blond and ninken saw nothing more than a large empty cavern with a few stalagmites and stalactites. Taking a look around, Naruto was relieved to discover that the cave could only be accessed by the way he came in.

"We're good!" Naruto declared and watched as both Ino and Hinata come in.

"Kinda damp," Ino noted but knew it was better than nothing. "Can't complain though. Probably be as good as it gets really."

"I'll say. Once we get a fire going it will dry things up a bit," Naruto knew it was far from ideal at the moment but in time they'd make do. " **Time!** " Naruto announced and watched as the daily clock told him the hour of the day. "Alright, it's almost noon, so let's try and make the most of it.

* * *

 **[QUEST COMPLETION!]**

 **Find a Safe Zone**

 **Main Quest: Find a suitable location for the remainder of your stay before nightfall. (COMPLETED)**

 **Rewards Earned:**

 **1450 EXP, Safe Zone Created**

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Setting Up Base Camp**

 **Main Quest: Improve the safe zone by making the follow–**

* * *

Ignoring it for now, for the next hour or so the group scoured and made certain no other entrances were about. When none were found they then began to make the area a little more hospitable. Ino, Hinata, and Hotto began to collect various rocks and branches while Naruto was tasked with securing the entrance due to his greater STR levels.

From a distance, Midori observed the group and gave off a smile when she noticed Naruto take out a kunai from what she assumed was a seal hidden in his sleeves, " _I was right, that boy is smarter than he looks._ "

Having been informed of Anko's plan before she came here, Midori knew what the woman wanted of her team. Part of it was the woman not wanting them to rely too much on her teachings, and taking everything she said to heart. She wanted them to find themselves and know where their strengths and weaknesses lie; thus using them to their advantage. Anko had learned firsthand that not questioning one's mentor wasn't always a good thing. Just because a master had a different opinion or style than his or her own master, didn't mean it was automatically the improper course of action.

The wrong course of action was taking a master's words as law rather than come up with their own conclusion. Due to her loyalty to him, despite knowing it was wrong, Anko had followed Orochimaru's orders without question. The results hadn't been pretty to say the least.

When Anko had told them to leave behind their weapons, to which they all obliged, Midori knew the woman had actually been disappointed and touched. Touched they listened to her but disappointed that they didn't question it either. Skilled as they were, they were still Genin and they had a chakra handicap as well. Were they Chunin or Jonin, Midori would expect them to make do with only the resources that the dungeon provided them.

The serpent was happy to see that at least one of them had the common sense to act like a ninja. Midori just hoped the other two would, and she hoped it would be soon. With that last thought in mind, Midori left them to it and went off in search of dinner.

* * *

 **(Sometime Later)**

"You had a kunai on you the whole time!" Ino couldn't believe it.

"Obviously! With Anko-sensei you never know what's going on in that head of her. For all we know this could be another test of hers," the ninja stated. Naruto had placed them on his sleeve armour if he ever needed to perform a quick draw, and to increase the level of the **Lightning Flash Blade Creation**. Having a kunai also came in handy when he made those stakes for the front entrance.

As she was about to retort, Ino stopped and let her mind process those words, "…Okay, fair point," this was Anko they were taking about after all. "What else did you sneak pass her?"

"Not much. The seal's current level only lets me hide some shuriken and kunai. Even then I don't have that much: nine kunai and twenty-five shuriken is all I got," Naruto regretted not sealing the fuma shuriken but it would have reduced the amount he could seal in the process. "What about you, Hinata? How many senbon you have on you?"

"Fifty three. They are also laced with a poison that causes paralysis, too," was the girl's answer.

"Hinata?" Ino couldn't believe it. Naruto she could see pulling something like this off, but Hinata? The Yamanaka was pleasantly surprised by the act. Anko really was doing wonders with the wallflower.

"Okay, so we aren't so helpless anymore," Ino was glad for that. Truth be told, Ino had two custom knives from the leftover metal in her boots that she _accidentally_ forgot to hand over. Teacher or not, Ino wasn't going anywhere without protective gear. The girl had them initially made to be deadlier than regular kunai and most swords, even if they were short, " _Eh, at least I still have my weapon shoes to fall back on,_ " they weren't as versatile but they were more lethal than the kunai and shuriken Naruto possessed anyway. During their training, Anko had commented that Ino was also fairly dexterous. With enough training she could be ambidextrous so her upper and lower body would be pretty lethal when using quick and light weaponry in combination to the fighting style she was learning.

"Hai, but we'll have to be careful. We have to make them last and use them sparingly," Hinata voiced. All of them knew part of the test was for them to make due with what they had.

"Hinata's right. Comforting as they are, kunai and shuriken aren't exactly going to be of big help against the bigger creatures here unless we know their weak points," even then it was a matter of luck and precision.

"We'll cross that bridge later. Right now we only have a few hours till sunset. We need just enough for food and to make a decent shelter," a fire would be simple enough due to his **Katon: Hidama**. It wasn't much but it would make do.

The seal Anko placed on them only allowed the kunoichi of the group access to 300 CP each; due to his higher chakra levels Naruto was given access to 750 CP. However, Naruto's control over the amount of clones he could make was far from perfect but it wasn't bad either. At his best, he could will the creation of six or seven clones at the lowest, but with his current charka levels they'd serve more as scouts than anything. Shadow Clones with more chakra in them enabled them to take on better hits, and with less than 100 CP each, including himself; the clones wouldn't last even if they blocked a decent strike. Naruto would have to use the technique sparingly due to the risk of suffering from chakra exhaustion.

"Hinata and I have enough wood in our Inventory Box for a decent fire, but they're too brittle to make a shelter. We need something stronger…. Hah… Is it just me, or is it a little nippy all of a sudden?"

True enough, the Genin spotted their breath in the air and the thought worried them. "Shit! The sun's still up and it's already getting this cold? We need to move, now!"

None of the members had to be told twice as they made their way out of the safezone and back into the unknown. They knew they needed to move quickly and they had a short amount of time to do it. Using Hotto's senses they tracked the nearest creature; however, as their luck would have it, said creature ended up being a large pack of wolves.

"Thanks a lot, mutt," Ino muttered and took out the two knives from her boots rather than accept Naruto's kunai.

* * *

 **Poison Soaked Custom-Made Twin Daggers – Uncommon Quality**

 **Bladed Weapon**

 **Durability 160/160 (80 Per Dagger)**

 **A set of custom-made daggers made high quality chakra metal to increase durability and allow one to better channel chakra into it. While not the strongest, or deadliest of weapons in the world, these 10 inch daggers can still be deadly in the right hands. The purpose of using a tanto was meant for assassination due to its small and easy to conceal size. It was also not uncommon for daggers to be soaked in venom or some form of poison in order to compensate for its short length. Originally designed for stabbing, these custom-made tanto have a keen double edge that enable it to be used as an effective slashing weapon. In addition, their small size and colour allows them to be hidden away in a secret holding place in Ino's boots**

 **Attack Power: 33-45 (Per Dagger)**

 **Requirements: Basic Bladed Weapon Mastery Skill**

 **Bonus Stats: +35% increase towards Movement Speed in Tantojustu, +35% chance to cause Critical Hit, 85% to cause Poison Status Effect**

* * *

Feeling her team's gaze on her, Ino commented, "Oh, don't look so shocked. Did you really think I wasn't gonna have a trick up my selves?" both ninja knew better than to argue. Ino was easily a saner version of Anko after all.

"Hotto, you watch Hinata's back," Naruto ordered. Despite Ino knowing a bit, Hinata was the official team medic. Should any one of them become too injured it was up to her to heal them with what little chakra she had. However, before they could move in, another beast made itself well known.

" **Observe!"** Naruto called and watched as the information appeared.

* * *

 **Alpha Dire Wolf – Lv. 27**

 **HP: 3000**

 **CP: 450**

 **STR: 69**

 **VIT: 120**

 **DEX: 136**

 **INT: 18**

 **WIS: 10**

 **LUK: 49**

 **Defense: 80**

 **Elemental Affinity: None**

 **Perks:**

 **Leader of the Pack:** Effectiveness and Power of Skills increased by 10% for each pack member in the group, Movement Speed increased by 10% for each pack member in the group

 **Keen-Senses:** +65% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Ancient Wolf Lineage (Attack Dog):** +5 STR, +5 DEX per Lv, +65% Effectiveness & EXP towards Collaboration Techniques and Tracking Skill, +85% Power and Effectiveness towards Biting Techniques

 **Thick Coat:** The benefactor is immune to penalties from wet, and icy environments, Reduces Power and Effectiveness from water and ice based techniques by 50%, -50% decrease in Tolerance towards Fire related techniques

 **Description:** Alphas are like regular Dire Wolves, only Alphas. Alpha wolves stand out in the pack as they have not only a white coat but are bigger, faster, and are generally the fiercest member of the pack. As a result of being the leader, the alpha is better fed and thus has greater abilities than the rest. Even when its pack is reduced to only itself it is not to be taken lightly.

 **EXP Earned: ? EXP**

 **Drops: ?, ?, ?, ?**

* * *

" _Great,_ " as if the larger number wasn't enough, the perks these guys had meant they were going to be much faster. The alpha especially so, "Hinata, give us cover fire!"

"Hai!" the girl assured him.

The group didn't need to wait much longer as the alpha barked and ordered its pack to attack them. Ino being the quickest member of the group due to her natural speed and the gear she wore was the first to lash out at a nearby enemy. The swift kick sent the wolf tumbling away before Ino jump spun above another; the kunoichi landed a few slashes on its back as a result before dodged another one.

While Ino was taking care of her opponents, Naruto began taking care of his own. While not as quick as Ino any longer, Naruto was far from being a slouch and was easily the physically superior member of the group.

Rather than dodge, Naruto let a wolf pounce before he used his strength to grab it out of the air with one hand and stabbing it with the other. The blond followed up by spinning and tossing it harshly into a tree where its movements became sluggish. The second wolf that attacked him was launched as Naruto ducked and kicked out with both legs. The blow struck its ribs and knocked it into another of its comrades.

Naruto heard a thud from behind and was greeted with the sight of a downed but still alive wolf. A fine piece of metal was in its front and back leg. Realizing what happened, Naruto shouted, "Thanks, Hinata!" before he took two kunai and ended the beast.

"GRRRRARGHHH!" an enlarged Hotto released a primal bark at the two wolves in front of him. His duty was to protect Hinata, and as a ninken with a guard dog lineage he was going to do just that. Stunned by the roar, Hottomaru pounced on the nearest one, biting deep into its neck. The transformed ninken then used his great strength to toss it aside and into a tree. However, he released a pain growl as the other wolf bit into his hind leg. Another then proceeded to come in and bite him on the shoulder, but Hotto merely clamped down on its exposed neck and began raking at it with aflame claws.

The large ninken didn't have to worry about the wolf attacking him from the back. While the foe was preoccupied, Hinata took care of it by hitting it with a few senbon. The poison laced projectiles did their duty and the wolf fell to the ground. This gave her the opportunity to land a series of jabs that – due to its current state – caused a great deal of damage to her opponent.

Once done, Hinata shot a senbon at a wolf that tried to sneak up on Ino. The thin metal hit its eye, making it yelp in the process. This alerted the blonde, who retaliated by slicing, dicing and kicking its head in. Ino's movements were far from the smoothest, but they were quick and precise enough to get the job done.

However, it was then that Hinata realized that something wasn't quite right at the moment. The girl had counted seven wolves, five of which had been dealt with. But Hinata only saw one in front of her. By the time her team finished off the final wolf, Hinata's mind didn't process the situation fast enough.

"Hinata!" Naruto shouted as the Alpha pounced on her.

The girl reacted as quickly as she could but the beast's greater speed and size sent her tumbling still. Hinata did manage to reduce the damage but crossing arms, but the force behind it was still impressive and the girl was soon kissing the ground.

The Alpha Dire Wolf didn't let up and pinned Hinata with its large paw and snapping at her in the process. Unfortunately, the wolf never met a Hyuga before and soon its face felt the painful sensation that was associated with the clan's martial arts. The pain served to not only anger the wolf but distracted it as well.

Barrelling into it with no choice to react was Hotto's large form. The small creature liked Hinata; rage surged through him upon seeing what happened to her. Transformed into his great canine form, Hotto used his newest technique the **Jao no Kuchi** (Maw of the Tyrant King). Where as the **Voracious Sin** was designed to drain one's chakra, this technique was designed to steal health and have a chance to cause the **Bleeding Status Effect**.

Currently his powerful jaw was clamped tightly on the creature's neck, his flamed paws turned claws raking into the creature's hide as it struggled to get loose.

" **Banrai** (Heavy Thunder)!" Naruto shouted as he landed a devastating blow on the creature's back. The male then followed up with a **Gawara Saiken** (Tile Crushing Fist) to its ribs and continued to land blow after painful blow.

" **Retsukyaku** (Severing Leg)!" Ino followed up. Her leg acting like a scythe and slicing well into the beast's back legs. The kunoichi then continued her assault but cutting the creature with her kunai.

What finally ended it was a swift jerk from Hotto that caused a loud snap to be heard in the clearing. The alpha's eyes went dull before it finally disappeared into nothingness. The loot; however, was forgotten as the group checked on their teammate. "Hinata! You okay? Are you hurt?" Naruto asked and began checking everywhere

"Ah!... I'm- I'm alright," Hinata stuttered at the act.

"Oh, for the love of – Hands off, Naruto! Hinata's not someone you can just grab and poke all you want… Though I don't see her complaining," the blonde smirked; Hinata blushed even more.

"Ano... I'm fine, really. Thank you," she said.

"Arf!" Hinata watched as Hotto jumped onto her and began licking the girl.

"Thank you, Hotto," she smiled at her little saviour, and earning herself another bark.

"Hinata, I'm sorry. It was our job to look over you, and we blew it," Naruto cursed himself for not paying closer attention. With the hype of the fight he had lost sight of the alpha and Hinata could have been severally hurt. It was a good thing the **Gamer** ability simulated pain rather than the actual injury most of the time; otherwise it would have ended on a worse note.

Hinata knew she couldn't say it was okay, she'd be lying after all and they all knew it. Were it not for Naruto's ability she'd be in much worse condition. Instead, Hinata said, "That's why we're here aren't we? To learn and make certain we don't make these mistakes? To get better and be the best?"

Somehow her smile managed to reach him and Naruto nodded. Ino then added her own two cents as well, "I'm no expert but even I know the road to Hokage isn't easy, Naruto. I'm pretty sure Kage ninja got to their level by learning from their mistakes rather than make excuses and feel sorry for themselves. Like Anko-sensei says, "You fuck you, you buck up!"

The last comment made him snort and laugh, "Heh, that would be something she'd say," despite being nuts, Anko had some pretty solid advice and wisdom. "Right, let's get this stuff back.

After collecting their loot, which comprised of **4 Animal Fat, 6** **Dire Wolf Meat, 3 Small Bones, and 5 Dire Wolf Fur** , the group realized that it was beginning to get even colder. Knowing time was of the essence; all four of them began grabbing anything nearby that looked useful. Naruto uprooted several small trees, collected some nearby wood, and grabbed several stones before he put them into his Inventory Box. Hinata and Ino did the same but also collected several herbs and plans as well. The girls would see if they could be used as healing salves or poisons once they returned to camp.

 **A special skill has been created due to a special act!**

 **By rummaging through the nearby environment for materials, you've created the passive/active skill "Foraging"!**

* * *

 **Foraging:** Lv1. Next Lv 0%/100%. Foraging is a basic but very useful skill in which a person attempts to gather nearby resources from nature for a multitude of reasons.

 *** 70% chance of finding consumable common quality item**

 *** 30% chance of finding consumable uncommon quality item**

 *** 15% chance of finding consumable rare quality item**

 *** 5% chance of finding double the amount of resources**

 *** Chance of finding specific items are also affected by WIS, and DEX level as well as certain skills**

* * *

" _Talk about useful,_ " the group thought.

"Grr! Arf! Arf!" Hotto's bark got their attention.

"What's he going on about?" Ino asked and hoped it wasn't another predator.

Ordering them to hide themselves as best they could in the bushes, Naruto climbed up a tree and chanced a look. " _Holy shit! It's huge!_ " were his thoughts before he used **Observe**.

* * *

 **Mature Tall Elk (Megaloceros) – Lv. 30**

 **HP: 3100**

 **CP: 250**

 **STR: 86**

 **VIT: 124**

 **DEX: 156**

 **INT: 10**

 **WIS: 6**

 **LUK: 43**

 **Defense: 70**

 **Elemental Affinity: None**

 **Perks:**

 **Swift Prancer:** Movement Speed increased by 80% when escaping combat, Movement Speed increased by 30% during combat, Evasion increased by 30% during combat

 **Keen-Senses:** +60% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours and sounds

 **Deadly (Crowned) Header:** +115% increase towards Head Attacks, +65% Resistance towards Unconsciousness and Daze Status Effect caused by physical means, +30% Increase in Effectiveness towards Intimidation Skill

 **Dense Fat:** Immune to penalties from wet, and icy environments, Reduces Power and Effectiveness of water and ice based techniques by 50%

 **Description:** Megaloceros, also known as the Tall Elk or Giant Elk, are large but incredibly quick herbivores that are found mostly in forests and mountains. Because of its large size and deadly antlers, many creatures avoid it when possible for fear of being charged and gored. Despite this, the creature knows when to fight and when to take flight when it encounters some of much fiercer the predators. Sneaking up on one is a difficult task due to its keen sense of smell and hearing. Few juvenile megaloceros grow up to become their mature equivalent, as they are often preyed on before they can properly defend themselves. Once they mature they become solitary creatures and can survive harsh winters due to their exceptional coat; finding one is both difficult and fortuitous due to the resources they grant.

 **EXP Earned: ? EXP**

 **Drops: ?, ?, ?, ?**

* * *

"What is it?" Ino asked the moment he came back down.

"It's a deer, big one, too," he said and prepared himself.

"How big?"

"Bigger than a horse. Its antlers are freakin huge!" the blond had his arms stretched out to emphasize their size. Never before had he seen such a large deer.

"Damn it. Too bad we don't have any rope," Ino's statement earned some confused looks and she elaborated, "Shika's Clan own a bunch of deer and more than once I had to hear him whine about how troublesome their deer's antlers. Some of the bigger ones are pretty much guaranteed to get themselves stuck or wrapped around something if they aren't kept in a fairly open area. It's the reason why they make certain they don't grow too big when they lose their old set," she explained.

"Deer lose their antlers? Huh, go figure," the information was kinda cool in Naruto's opinion. "So their antlers are a much a weakness as it is a strength. Good to know," he breathed and frowned as he spotted his breath. It was getting colder by the minute and Naruto knew they needed to work fast.

"You know any binding techniques, Ino?" Naruto asked.

"A few, but none are good enough to hold that thing for long," it would be another story if she were a higher level or if some of her skills were at a higher level. Ino was beginning to see why Anko sent them here in the first place.

"Damn, Plan B then. You guys remember what we did with Tora?" the group remained silent before they realized where he was going with it.

"That could work," Hinata nodded and Ino had to admit it had some merit to it.

"We'll leave it to you guys then. Come on, Hotto!" Naruto ordered and snuck away with his ninken as quickly and quietly as he could.

Meanwhile, Hinata and Ino prepared themselves by scaling up the nearby trees and watching the tall deer's movements. Having seen her fair share of deer, Ino would freely admit that the Nara deer had nothing on this oversized plant eater. The antlers alone would be over half the size of a normal deer.

" _Let's hope this works,_ " the plan was simple, but, then again, it had been used on a smaller animal as well. Hearing a series of whistles, both kunoichi sprung from their posts and appeared before the creature. The act startled it enough to send it scampering away at incredible speeds.

" _Holy shit!_ " Ino knew it was going to be fast but she didn't think it would be this fast.

Fortune smiled upon them, as the beast was unsuspectingly nearing Naruto's location. Timing it right, Naruto pounced on the creature along with Hotto. Ino and Hinata made to cheer, but Lady Luck decided to stop blessing them. Another creature with dark fur, a large and bulky frame shot out from the opposite side and collided with their target.

Unable to handle all three of them, coupled with the sheer force behind the impact, all four of them went tumbling down to the ground. Naruto and Hotto were dazed for only a few moments; but managed to get up. With their vision cleared, both got a better look at the intruder.

"Oh, yer fucking kidding me," Naruto cursed. Lady Luck was a being bitch at the moment.

* * *

 **Mature Smilodon – Lv. 39**

 **HP: 4300**

 **CP: 350**

 **STR: 116**

 **VIT: 132**

 **DEX: 176**

 **INT: 14**

 **WIS: 8**

 **LUK: 58**

 **Defense: 50**

 **Elemental Affinity: None**

 **Perks:**

 **Apex Predator:** +1000 HP, +25 to all Physical Stats (Except Defense), +35% Increase in Effectiveness towards Intimidation Skills

 **Keen-Senses:** +70% Increase in Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours and sounds

 **Deadly Maw:** +150% Increase towards Bite Attacks, +35% Increase in Effectiveness towards Intimidation Skill

 **Night Vision:** Renders the user the ability to see well in darkness, Nightly vision penalties are annulled, +25% Increase in Critical Hits when using Stealth Skills at night

 **Insulated Fur:** Immune to penalties from wet, and icy environments, Reduces Power and Effectiveness of water and ice based techniques by 50%, -50% decrease in Tolerance towards Fire related techniques

 **Description:** The Smilodon was easily one of the deadliest of beasts of its era. Its size, speed and deadly teeth enabled it to bring down prey and predators that were twice its size and weight. While a solitary predator, one generally found in cold, lightly wooded areas, it wasn't uncommon for some to form prides. The island's mountains are the perfect habitat, as the mammal's fur keeps it safe from the bitter temperature. While its huge fangs are excellent for delivering deathblows, the creature's claws can be just as deadly.

 **EXP Earned: ? EXP**

 **Drops: ?, ?, ?, ?**

* * *

Upon noticing them, the ancient cat growled before releasing a bellowing roar that sang throughout the forest. Hottomaru took the challenge personally and morphed into his enlarged form. Instincts had the dog challenging the sabre-toothed cat. The two sized each other before they charged. Naruto followed quickly after his ninken and watched as the two barrel into each out.

Shit just got real, it seemed.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Level: 29 Next Level: 4140/36,300**

 **HP: 6000**

 **CP: 9225**

 **STR: 115**

 **VIT: 197**

 **DEX: 181**

 **INT: 291**

 **WIS: 120**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 115**

 **Attribute Points: 37**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Level: 24 Next Level: 9382/27,200**

 **HP: (1775/** **1775)**

 **CP: (1075/1075)**

 **STR: 45**

 **VIT: 64 (7) = 71**

 **DEX: 81**

 **INT: 43**

 **WIS: 30**

 **LUK: 27**

 **DEF: 70**

 **Attribute Points: 26**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Yamanaka Ino**

 **Level: 25 Next Level: 19246/28,900**

 **HP: 975**

 **CP: 1025**

 **STR: 39 (5) 44**

 **VIT: 39**

 **DEX: 91 (40) = 131**

 **INT: 41**

 **WIS: 134**

 **LUK: 25**

 **DEF: 10 (55) = 65**

 **Stats Points: 31**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hyuga Hinata**

 **Level: 25 Next Level: 25912/28,900**

 **HP: 1275**

 **CP: 1375**

 **STR: 31**

 **VIT: 47**

 **DEX: 111**

 **INT: 55**

 **WIS: 165**

 **LUK: 22**

 **DEF: 70**

 **Stats: 32**

* * *

 **Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Joy to the World! Take your pick people.**

 **But in all seriousness, I would have posted sooner, but exams and family illness pushed it back. In addition, there was too much in this chapter so I had to take much out. Luckily, I can still use it for the next chapter. My other Harry Potter/Gamer story** , **will be out soon.**

 **I hope to get at least 60 reviews, after which I will post the new chapter the day after new years without further ado, enjoy my gift to you all and please give tons of reviews! Also, don't forget to check my polls, too!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: Break**

"Three. Two. One. And survival training is done," Anko announced. "Congratz, brats, you passed."

"Fina-fucking-lly!" Ino shouted to the heavens. "After four freaken months we can finally leave this kami-forsaken place!"

"It wasn't that bad, Ino," Naruto's comment earned him a knowing look from his fellow blond.

"This from the guy who almost went through ramen withdrawals," she smirked at his embarrassed blush. "Then again, you faired better than Hinata's cinnamon bun withdrawals."

Now was Hinata's turn to blush, especially since she was munching on said sweet-roll; courtesy of her teacher. Even now it still surprised the Yamanaka; Hinata's addiction to cinnamon buns was probably worse than Naruto's addiction to ramen.

"Oh, come on. You guys can't say you didn't have fun?" Anko stopped chuckling as she earned a look from four sets of eyes. "Well, I don't care. Your bitchin means nothing and I stand by my decision. It all worked out well in the end, didn't it? You got stronger, didn't you? I mean, look at you guys!"

On that they could agree. Due their constant abuse of Naruto's ability, along with him being able manipulate time in a dungeon – and by that they were counting before they stayed in this one – all four of them had grown; both and power and skill. Their movements were much smoother, virtually all their skills – physical based ones mostly – were mastered and now wasted little energy. And they discovered multiple ways to survive in harsh environments using minimal to no chakra.

The only downside was the fact they were now approximately eight months older. Except for Hotto, all of them were now technically fourteen years old. Or close to it.

As a result, coupled with the sort of living conditions they had to endure, all three Genin lost a good deal of baby fat; making all four looked much different compared to when they first entered. Luckily, Naruto's **Gamer** ability adjusted their armour and clothing for an automatic fit.

Ino and Hinata had grown by quite a few inches, and it was evident they were developing womanly curves. Hinata's former hime-cut hair was now long, almost reaching the same length as Ino's own. And as both of them had to be smart with their chakra, the two had been pushed to their physical limits practically everyday for almost four months. Due to this and their diet, the two kunoichi had developed strong lean muscles, and though they weren't very pronounced they were still visible.

Hotto looked pretty much the same given that ninken grew more slowly compared to ordinary dogs. But it was evident he was bigger. In addition, he was slowly starting to develop a small mane that resembled his transformed state.

Naruto's change was quite evident. Before meeting Anko, and due his lack of a proper diet, it was clear that he was more or less the runt of his class. Now thanks to the changes in lifestyle the boy was now standing at a decent five foot five, sported a very toned frame, and shoulder length hair. He also sported scar on his left eye, but the ocular organ worked just fine. Even with his **Gamer's Body,** the group discovered that certain injuries from opponents with much higher level's than their own had a chance to leave such marks.

* * *

 **(Months Earlier)**

Ino and Hinata worriedly watched as Hotto and the great cat crashed into one another. Both went tumbling down with a thud before they were seen clawing and attempting to bite the other. The two were rendered even more worried when the large feline managed to mount Hotto and pin him down.

" **Power Strike!"**

Splinters flew as Naruto's makeshift bludgeon struck home on the large cat's head. The branch was far from sturdy, evident by it being destroyed after a single use, but it served its purpose. "Get the fuck off my dog!"

"Grrrr!" the cat snarled as its attention now diverted from Hotto to Naruto. A big mistake as it allowed the ninken to squirm out of its hold and clamp down hard on leg while his paws began raking the creature's back.

"Rwaoorrr!" the creature howled painfully; angered that the one causing its pain was out of its deadly fangs reach.

" **Power Strike!"** a stone in hand, Naruto struck one the cat's dagger sized teeth and watched as the force behind said blow crack and dislodge it.

 **A Critical Hit has been landed!**

"Fuck yeoooowwww!" Naruto shouted and was sent sprawling from the unexpected strike to the face. Pain flared unlike he ever felt before and Naruto could feel blood freely flow.

 **You are suffering from the Mild Bleeding Status Effect!**

" _Fuck,"_ Naruto cursed as the pain flared up once more. " _So much for the custom forehead protector's added protection,"_ he couldn't help notice.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata skidded to a halt, her palm alight with chakra to stop the bleeding, while Ino joined Hotto. Ino knew she was no Naruto or Hotto when it came to physical strength, but the girl knew she had speed and something else up her sleeve.

"Hotto, hold back!" she ordered the ninken.

"Here kitty, kitty!" Ino taunted and prayed she was quick enough to evade this thing's swipes. She wasn't all too keen for being on the receiving end of those wicked claws. Taunting some more, the girl watched as the cat roared before it shot forth at frightening speed.

Ino could only duck, bob and weave the large creature's striking attempts several times before she felt pain on her side. Followed by her noticing herself go air born. The cat's speed proving superior to her own, even with the boosts from her gear.

"Ino!" Naruto and Hinata shouted, watching as the Yamanaka heiress roughly land on the ground, the air rushing from her lungs as a result. "Fuck!" she cursed at the pain, but the teen had little time to let it register as the ancient apex predator made its way towards her.

" _Gotten time this right…_ " Ino knew if she messed up she'd be in a world of hurt. Letting the cat get in as close as needed it to, Ino then sprung her trap.

" **Ninpo: Hyakka Ryōran** (Ninja Art: Profusion of Flowers)!" a flare of chakra flashed before the cat's eyes before Ino showered the creature with a fine pink dust.

It was far from perfect, but the technique served its purpose. Already she could see the befuddled enemy veer off course, crashing harshly into a large tree head on and most likely harming itself in the process. Ino and her team then watched as it began to wildly attack random spots, not knowing its prey was well of out of its reach.

The technique was one of her mother's personal creations. Much like Ino, Yamanaka Benten was more of a speed type fighter than a power type one, and the woman had developed several techniques to make great use of her speed. The current one was a minor illusion mixed with powered poisonous flowers she enhanced by her chakra. Ino knew she lacked the skill – and drive for that matter – or control to one day classify herself as Genjutsu mistress or even an expert for that matter. However, her mother had developed methods that more or less mimicked their effects.

The **Ninpo:** **Hyakka Ryōran** , though one of her mother's most basic skills, was one such technique. When enthralled it would cause others to see a storm of flowers and make them see multiple versions of the caster.

Before Ino could suggest anything, the Yamanaka watched as Hotto spun and drill into the beast's side; sending it crashing once more into the tree. The ninken didn't stop there though. Hotto then proceeded to viciously bite down on its neck and rake its body wherever he could. In its weakened and vulnerable state, the cat was unable to properly fight off its aggressor. All it could do was roar and mewl in pain before a series of well placed strikes to the head; courtesy of one angry looking Hinata, ended the creature's life.

* * *

 **(Flashback End)**

While Ino managed to get away with nothing more than a few scratches, despite Hinata's best attempts, Naruto ended up with his scar. From then on, the group had made it a goal not to attack smilodons until they were stronger and unless they had no choice. The group was smarter whenever they encountered them, too.

"Can't wait to get home," Naruto heard Ino's voice, "I'm taking a shower till the hot water runs out," Naruto knew why. Numerous attempts at creating a hot spring, or some form of heated bath, had all ended in failure. So it had been nothing but cool river baths or smell like crap, "Bad enough I smell like the mutt at times. "

"*Whine*" they heard Hotto whine.

"She's got a point, Hotto," Naruto conceded, the comment earning a betrayed look, "You're getting a good scrubbing once we're back."

The following comment earned him a growl from the ninken. The dog was quickly placated once Hinata began petting him. "Lousy mutt," he muttered low enough to not be heard. Part of him was jealous, too.

"How was your time, Anko-sensei?" Hinata asked.

"Productive but boring as hell," as of now she was more or less back in the swing of things. This meant Anko could train her team once more without risk of causing them serious injuries.

"Aside from training and popping in whenever I could to see you guys, nothing's changed. Well, except one. I wasn't there to see it but from what I heard, Hokage-sama almost tore Kakashi a new asshole. Of all the damn luck," the woman would have paid top ryo to watch that. Her Kage had also disciplined Sakura as well, though nowhere as intense as he did her teacher, telling her she needed to shape up or she would lose her Genin status and be sent back to the academy or the reserves.

"By the way, turns out Nami named the bridge after you, gaki. They called it the Great Naruto Bridge, or something."

"What?" Naruto blinked.

"Congratulations, Naruto-kun," Hinata smiled.

Ino on the other hand, "What! Well, that's just great! We were there, too, you know! What about us? We helped! We risked our asses! Where's our recognition?"

"You weren't the one defending the bridge from an S-Rank ninja, Ino," was Naruto's excuse.

"That's cuz that double crossing bitch knocked me out!" the Yamanaka still wasn't over the incident. Asagao, or Asageo, or whatever the hell her name was, was gonna get be in a world of pain when she saw her again.

"Awoo!" a light howl, one that did not belong to Hotto, was heard.

"Eh?" Anko idly wondered where that came from before she spotted two small, dirty looking pups running their way. "What is?"

"Oh, no. Leave me alone!" Ino held onto her hair for dear life and looked ready to run.

"It's your fault, Ino," Naruto laughed, picking up the two dire wolf pups before they passed him, "Anko-sensei, this is Tsuki and this is Yorumaru."

"That's nice. Still doesn't explain why you have two wolf pups with ya, gaki," Anko had to admit that they were cute.

"Ino-chan tried a clan technique that could turn an enemy into an ally," Hinata explained, having taken the pups from Naruto. Anko nodded, she was following so far, "But because we didn't have much chakra, she had to try it on something small and with a much lower level. She used it on Tsuki and Yorumaru, but it didn't work out like she wanted to."

Anko didn't need to be told the rest to figure it out on her own, "So basically she fucked up a clan technique and now you guys are stuck with two wolf pups," the woman bluntly summed it all up.

"Technically they just follow us around. Whatever she did made them see us as allies. We tried putting em back with a pack but that didn't work," for whatever reason the wolves of the dungeon now saw the pups as enemies. "So they stick to Hotto mostly. Pack thing, I guess," Naruto wasn't that much of an expert on dogs and wolves.

"Then what's with her bitching and moaning?"

"Tsuki-chan and Yoru-kun see Ino-chan's hair as their chew-toy," Hinata giggled softly.

"It's not funny!" even now the two were eying the girl's hair. The act unnerved her. "Do you know what it's like trying to get a dog to let go of something it likes!" not to mention the smell of dog drool permeating her locks.

"Uh, hello," Naruto pointed at his partner in crime.

"Arf!"

"Ugh! Can we just get out of here, please," Ino cursed the day she used the technique. Ino didn't know if it was because they were young and still developing or because she performed it wrong, either way they were stuck with them.

 **(Flashback; One-Month Ago Dungeon Time)**

Ino effortlessly moved so the lunge the dire wolf caused it to overshoot. Once its body came into range she lashed out with a kick with enough for to knock it into boulder. The girl then proceeded to rain a series of fast kicks and precise slashes from her chakra coated knives before it disappeared.

"Okay, that's the last of em," she heard Naruto declare. "You know the drill."

"Yeah, I got it, Naruto," one would think the blond would understand they knew their routine by now. Due to his knowledge and superior skill the blond was the unofficial leader of the group. He wasn't the greatest, but Naruto had a knack that was slowly starting to bloom. During their time in the dungeon they quickly picked up a few things, one was that animal dens had the odd ore vein that gave them lumps of metal ore ranging from copper to iron. On the rare occasion they even found veins that had small deposits of chakra metal ore.

However, the most common items theses dens had were hidden caches and rare herbs. Said herbs were quite useful for their curative properties; to which Hinata's crafting skill and medical skill enabled her to turn them into a decent healing paste when combined with other ingredients.

Due to his Naruto superior strength, compared to Ino and Hinata, he mostly took care of acquiring the ores. However, Ino and Hinata pitched in as well to increase their strength and endurance, too. This wasn't the sole reason why they did this, as the group returned to Konoha the items they had left would be sold for a pretty amount.

" _Shopping spree here I come!_ " not being able to go to the mall for so long was going to feel very good for her.

"Grr."

The sound instantly had Ino on alert and she prepared herself for combat; that is until she saw the origin of the noise. "Pfft,"she stifled a laugh, "Oh, that's cute," she remarked.

Two wolf pups, one white and one black, were growling at her. Not that it really mattered. Their current levels were much too low to pose any real threat. In fact, this gave Ino the opportunity to test a clan technique she was fiddling with. Performing a series of hand seals, Ino then called out her technique, " **Shinran Enbu no Jutsu** (Mind Disturbance Dance Performance Technique)!"

An aura of blue chakra enveloped her targets; momentarily increasing in intensity and causing a flash that made her temporarily lose focus. Cancelling it out, Ino was greeted by the sight of two docile wolf pups. But no matter how hard she tried, the effects of the technique didn't buff out.

"Uh-oh."

 **(Flashback End)**

Once it was apparent the two weren't going away; Hinata, upon laying eyes on them, had made it clear they were keeping them rather than getting rid of them. The girl knew they'd be left behind once they left the dungeon, but hadn't cared. Plus it allowed Hottomaru to spend time with his own kind, one that wasn't trying to kill him.

For Anko it had only been a week since they last saw her team; that was twenty-eight days dungeon time with the little monsters. Why they were fascinated with Ino's hair she didn't know. At first it was cute, but then it got old very quickly. Now Ino was happy to be leaving them behind. They'd be fine, right?

"Well, say yer goodbyes, kiddies. Hope you're ready, cuz the exams are right around the corner, too," they were a mere three weeks away actually. Konoha would be hosting them much earlier than usually to fit everyone's schedule. Everyone's schedule, including Anko's, was going to be hectic for the next little while. She didn't doubt her time would kick ass, but experience taught her that nothing was set in stone.

Naruto had already come to terms with it as he said his goodbyes. Ino's goodbye was curt, though inwardly she felt a bit bad. Hinata was free with her emotions and didn't want to let go of them. Once she did, Naruto uttered the command and all four of them left the place that had been home for the last four months in a flash of white.

 **(Konoha)**

Once the light faded, the group found themselves in the exact same spot as they had left so many months ago. Well… one month ago, technically.

"Finally, we're out! Well, I'm gonna … are you fucking kidding me!"

"Aroo! Arf!" Tsuki and Yoru both howled.

"Why?" Ino whined, ignoring Hinata as she cuddled the two.

 **Challenge "Take a Monster Outta the Dungeon" has been completed!**

 **Reward: 3000 EXP**

"The hell! I thought you could only take out objects," Anko nearly exclaimed, ignoring the pop up.

"That's what I though. Guess not," that was actually pretty cool in Naruto's opinion. "But who's gonna take care of em?" Naruto had the living space, but it was a fixer upper. He already had Hotto, and it had taken him a while before the ninken started listening to him and get as strong as he currently was. "If they were older I could probably use em as guard dogs for my home," but they were far too young for that.

"I'd love to, but my clan won't allow it," Hinata was happy they were here, but disliked being enable to provide for them. It might have been possible had they'd been a ninken breed instead of a wolf breed.

"Don't look at me!" Ino quickly added. Naruto and Hinata gave her look that pretty much said 'This is your fault, so you deal with it.'

"Okay, stop. This is going nowhere," Anko interjected, unable to take anymore. "Gaki, take the two and hand em over to the Inuzuka. You can have em back when they're trained and old enough. Pretty sure Tsume would love a couple of rare breeds."

"… That's not a bad idea," he had only been there for a brief period of time but Naruto knew the clan would take good care of them. His only concern was Yoru and Tsuki not getting along with the other pups like Hotto did.

"Are we done here? I'd really like to take a hot shower," Ino fidgeted.

Anko merely laughed, "Go home, Blondie. Be in front of the Inuzuka's in an hour, and be in front of the Hokage Tower in two days," her Genin had earned themselves a break. It wouldn't be long though with the exams being just around the corner.

"Before you do," Anko made a hand sign and watched as all four of her Genin glowed. A rush coursed through them and they knew it was their chakra. The sensation that was like a damn that only allowed a little bit to escape was now flowing much more freely.

"I'll never get use to that. Feels weird, really," not bad weird, simply weird in Naruto's opinion. "Thanks, sensei."

"Yeah, thanks. Bye!" Ino thanked before the girl flickered away.

* * *

 **(Yamanaka Clan)**

Inoichi paced back and forth as he awaited the arrival of his one and only child. Currently with him his old friend and the leader of the Akimichi Clan, Choza. "Inoichi, relax. It's only been a month. Don't forget, we were gone much longer when we were younger."

"That's different! This is my little girl we're talking about here. The longest she's ever been gone was a little over a week," Inoichi countered.

"True. But even then you were worried," then again, even he worried and still couldn't believe it when he learned about the B-Rank turned S-Rank mission. Only a rare stock of Genin could deal with that. "But this isn't some mission gone wrong, Inoichi. It's just a training exercise so she and her team can be ready for the Chunin Exams. You don't see her mother fussing over it."

"That's because Benten is–" the man stopped as his wife suddenly appeared. Her smile and regal features was offset by the cold and dangerous aura only women were known to possess. Inoichi was pretty certain Benten mastered it to a whole different level.

"Because I'm what, dear?" she asked ever so sweetly. Both men had shivers down their spines, regardless that it was aimed only for Inoichi.

"A beautiful, intelligent, and highly independent woman," Inoichi quickly told her; knowing it was the truth and that it would placate his wife. The man released a sigh of relief as she lost her frightening aura. Despite semi-retiring from the active forces when Ino was born; Benten hadn't lost her touch.

Choza, however, merely bellied a chuckle. It was no wonder why she and Yoshino got along so well. Both of them had his teammates whipped like obedient dogs. Though if rumours of Benten's youth were true it was more literal than figurative.

"I'm home!" a voice the clan home had not heard in nearly a month sang. For a fraction of a second, Choza and Benten believed Inoichi's speed rivalled their late Yondaime as he appeared before the door.

"Sweet…heart…" Inoichi, Benten, and Choza had stunned looks on their faces as they saw who stood before them.

"Ino?" Benten blinked, not believing her eyes.

"Miss you, love you, gonna take a shower. Later!" she told them and quickly made a beeline towards the shower. Benten was the first to come to her senses and quickly followed after her somewhat older looking daughter. Inoichi and Choza, however, merely bore stunned looks.

"My baby girl. She's grown up," Inoichi couldn't help mutter. The man also couldn't stop the flood of unwanted thoughts that began to cross his mind.

Leaving home.

Dating.

Boys.

Sex.

" _Oh, sweet kami! No!"_

No sooner did the thought occur did Shikaku enter the room. Seeing a mumbling and incoherent Inoichi, Shikaku looked at Choza asked what was wrong. He received one word from his Akimichi teammate.

"Ino," Choza said. When the Nara cocked his brow the man elaborated, "She's… different."

"Troublesome?" more or less asking if he wanted to know the whole story or not.

"Troublesome," Choza nodded; Shikaku immediately let the matter go.

"My little girl," Inoichi sobbed. The other sweat dropped at the sight; both were thankful they had sons.

* * *

 **(Hyuga Clan)**

Those who knew him could describe Hiashi Hyuga in a few words: stern, stoic, strict, and proud. This often made others see the Hyuga patriarch as a cold and emotionless man. Which, in a sense, was true. Aside from the odd duck that popped up here and there, members of the Hyuga Clan in general were known for their impassive nature. Even when angered they were known to hold a façade of neutrality.

Rarely did they show emotion in or outside the clan. In his younger years when his brother – before their relationship strained – and his late wife were around, Hiashi was not afraid to show emotion. Reserved, yes, but not afraid. Only a select few nowadays, such as his youngest child and clan heir, ever saw such emotions, fleeting as they were.

Except for today.

Hiashi knew today was the day his eldest returned from her survival training. While strict and demanding on both his daughters, Hiashi still loved them. But it was evident that where Hanabi took after him, Hinata took after her mother. A statement that rung even truer the moment his eyes landed upon her.

"Greetings, Tou-sama?" Hinata bowed as Hiashi gawked, not registering the message. Only a month had passed and yet the girl had grown this much. It was clear to him that the girl before was starting to look more and more like her mother once did.

If he was honest, the notion unnerved him. Both because Hikari was once regarded as one of the most beautiful kunoichi in Konoha, turning more than a few heads as a result, and because Hinata's current appearance made him see the phantom image of his late wife.

"Tou-sama?" Hinata blinked as her father continued gawking.

Realizing what he was doing, Hiashi's face switched into its usual stance, mentally chiding himself and wondering how this could have happened, "Your training went well?" he asked.

"Yes, Tou-sama. Anko-sensei said we passed," Hiashi's eyes furrowed a bit at the mention of her team. He had nothing against Inoichi's daughter, and while she was crass, Hiashi knew Anko took her duties seriously. It was the male member that he had initial concerns with.

Hiashi had nothing personal against Naruto as a jinchuriki – merely the pranks he tried pulling on some of his clansmen – it didn't mean he wasn't worried. The Yondaime was a master of seals, but having worked alongside him in the past, Hiashi knew Minato wasn't perfect as many assumed him to be. The fame of a man such as Minato's had a tendency to be glorified or exaggerated by the masses. Master or no, no seal, no matter how many claimed or disputed the matter, was ever going to be one hundred percent perfect. Unlike his late wife, Hiashi was more pragmatic than an idealist.

Hinata watched as a flash of sadness flickered in her father's eye, "Tou-sama, are you alright?"

"Fine," the response came out harsher than he intended. Hinata flinched but Hiashi noted she didn't look downwards as she normally would. _"She has grown_."

He idly wondered what it would have been like had Anko and not Kurenai was instructed to teach her so many years ago. "Very well. Tomorrow – No, in two days you will show me how much you have improved."

"Yes, Tou-sama," Hinata knew better to argue with the man.

* * *

 **(Inuzuka Clan, Later in the Evening)**

"Oi, Tsume!" Anko shouted as they arrived at the compound. "Get your ass out here you bitch!"

"Anko-sensei!" Hinata couldn't believe the woman. This was a clan head after all and a very strong one according to her father.

"Oh, we're dead," Ino never personally met the woman but she often heard stories from her father. Tsume was a vicious and fierce fighter. Despite how she acted, the woman was a very competent clan head and leader. However, piss her off and it wasn't gonna be pretty. It didn't help that she was one of the few clan heads still on active field duty while the rest did most of their work within Konoha.

" _Talk about deja-vu,_ " Naruto thought, trying to get the ringing out of his ears as well.

"Snake Bitch!" a voice called back in response. Within seconds he spotted the form of Kiba's mother along with her ninken Kuromaru. The matriarch of the clan looking just as feral as the day he first met her. The woman was about to ask what was going until she spotted Naruto. Seeing her eyes narrow, Naruto stiffened.

" _For the last four months, I faced giant beasts from a time long forgotten and lived to tell about it. Why the hell is that look of hers scaring the living shit outta me?_ "Naruto felt a lump in his throat as the woman and her wolf partner marched over. Remembering what Anko told him the first time around, Naruto stood firm and didn't back down.

"This better not be bad news about your ninken, pup," Tsume practically growled. Kuromaru barred his fangs and released a growl. Given where he was for the last little while, the act didn't scare him as much the ninken hoped.

"Hotto? Oh, he's fine. Damn mutt's back home and sulking after Hinata gave him a bath. He hates em but Hinata knows how to make him take it," he told her. Tsume's eyes softened and chuckled at that. Kuromaru huffed, which Naruto guessed was his own version of a laugh.

"Yeah, I get it. Akamaru was the same for a while; he was hell bent on getting away when he heard the water flowing, too. Enter Hana and he was less reluctant," she recalled. The woman had some good laughs whenever her son tried and failed to bathe his ninken; the boy would become pissed and give Akamaru the stink eye when Hana faced no such difficulties.

"By the way, Anko, what have you been feeding these kids?" granted she wasn't the tallest of women but Tsume noticed that Naruto was much taller than before. At five foot five, Naruto now had a good two inches on her; while Ino and Hinata were only an inch or two shorter than herself.

"So, what can I do ya for?"

"Tsume-sama," Hinata bowed to the clan head, "We were wondering if you and your clan were willing to help us?"

Tsume gave the girl a quick look over and despite her fierce look the woman's eyes became warm and soft, "Hikari's girl, right?"

"H-hai," Hinata nodded and briefly watched as Tsume's eyes saddened.

"You look so much like your mother did, pup. Damn shame what happened to her. Damn shame," while not her teammate, more than once had they worked alongside one another. The woman had been a great tracker and medic, which was an odd combination. Aside from Hiashi – despite having the air of a man with a stick up his ass on occasion – Hikari was one of the few Hyuga Clan members that Tsume liked.

"Thank you, Tsume-sama," was Hinata's sincere reply.

Tsume merely smiled before her gaze fell on Ino. Said smiled morphed into a smirk soon after; knowing exactly whose daughter she was, "Benten's kid, right?"

"Yup," Ino proudly admitted.

"Talented kunoichi your mother. Knows her poisons and knows how to make men and women spill their guts for her," Ino beamed with pride.

"Terrible gambling player; worst I've ever seen. But damn did she not make up for it with that talented tongue of hers," Tsume barked out laughing. More than once did she and Benten have a few wild nights before the latter settled down with Inoichi. How that happened, Tsume didn't know. While she was curious to find out it wasn't that big a priority.

Ino blushed with embarrassment, along with her teammates. Hinata went scarlet and had to be caught by an equalling blushing Naruto. Anko merely laughed her ass off. Despite how Benten dressed and looked, it was no secret to the Yamanaka heiress that her mother had been adventurous in her early years.

Having found out by accident over a year ago, after she accidently coming across her mother's old attire, Ino had eventually come to terms with it. She'd never admit it out loud, but recently Ino fiddled with the idea. It wasn't uncommon really, as Anko taught her that most kunoichi were either bi-sexual or bi-curious. Ninja, male and female, were also known to prone to these thoughts during puberty; more than once had the idea crossed her mind. What hadn't crossed her mind was meeting one of her mother's former partners!

Awkward.

"Tsume, scarring these Genin is my job, not yours," Anko told her.

"Fine. Spoil my fun," the clan head said before becoming more civil. "So, with that out of the way, what do you need my help for?"

"Fwheeet!" Naruto whistled.

"Aroo! Arf!"

Tsume and Kuromaru watched as two small wolf pups came rushing towards them. The woman cocked an eyebrow, as she unable to recognize the breed. As soon as they were within range, the two dire wolf pups spotted Kuromaru and became submissive to the alpha.

"Tsume-sama, this is Tsuki and this is Yorumaru," Hinata informed the clan head.

"Cute," was all she said, and despite her look, she was being honest. She'd be lying if weren't true, too. "No parents?"

"Hey, mom, we're gonna need to order some – Oh! Sorry, didn't know you were busy. I'll come… " Hana, Tsume's eldest and future matriarch of the clan, dropped her clipboard the moment her gaze landed on the two pups.

"Where did you find these two?!" the young woman practically shouted; surprising her mother and Kuro, "Do you realize what these two are?"

"Yeah. Dire wolves," Naruto answered.

"WHAT!" Tsume's sudden and explosive shout almost knocked them off their feet. "Hana, if this is a trick!"

"It's not a trick!" having read and memorized virtually every book regarding ninken, dog, and wolf, and their various lineages, Hana knew a dire wolf when she saw one. The fact she was seeing two was nothing short of miraculous, "Where did you find them! Dire wolves have been extinct since the Era of Warring States. The last known sight of them was over two hundred years ago!" ninken breeders at the time would fight tooth and nail for a single one. Dire wolves not only lived much longer than common wolves but were also the best of the best among wolf breeds, especially those with the alpha gene. Any offspring they had with ninken had the potential to become among the most powerful. Never mind how great their senses would be.

"Found em during the end of our survival training. Their mom was dead and had a ton of slashes on her. Looked like she went down fighting," was the lie they came up with.

"How'd you know they were dire wolves?" Hana asked suspiciously.

"Video game," was Naruto's response.

"What? … You know what, I don't care. I'm not gonna bother asking. These two are getting a check up and going on a proper diet for the next little while. Still, can't believe our luck–"

"Hold it! Never said we were giving them away! We found em; they're ours," Ino proclaimed.

"You wanna run that by me again," at first glance Hana wasn't as feral as the rest of her clan, but it was clear as day she had the Inuzuka temper when pushed.

Though slightly intimidated, Ino was undeterred, "I don't want em, Hinata's clan most likely won't let her, but Naruto is interested in em."

Naruto nodded, he was interested in the two, "Here's the thing: I've already got Hotto so I'm not looking for another ninken partner. I'd like to keep em but with the exams and everything else my schedule's kinda nuts. Personally, I'd like to have Tsuki and Yoru as guard dogs whenever I'm not around but they're too young and I don't have time to train em," here Naruto stopped to take a breath, "I'll visit and train em whenever I can but I need your help."

"We're a clan, pup. We don't do things for free," Hotto had been given to him but that was because they bonded and Tsume owed Naruto due to the lost scroll incident. "What's in for us?"

And here was the part Anko schooled him, "In exchange for looking after em until they are old and trained enough, you guys get the exclusive right to breed em when they're older. Free of charge," while he could make a decent amount of ryo with that, Naruto knew he'd make more than enough by farming in the dungeons to make up for it.

Wide-eyed at the prospect, Tsume and Hana looked at one another. The offer was a very good one. Yoru and Tsuki wouldn't belong to the clan but Naruto was offering them their future offspring. Other clans would charge an arm and a leg, literally, for such rights. And all the Inuzuka needed to do was look after them, "Pup, you got yourself a deal."

 **Due to your actions, your reputation with the Inuzuka Clan and its members has increased by 2000!**

" _Sweet!"_

Extending his hand in gratitude, Naruto then bowed to the clan head. Tsume returned the gesture along with Hana before he felt himself being dragged into the compound. "Tell the clan to gather up the booze and meat! Tonight, we celebrate!"

* * *

 **(Meanwhile)**

Months had passed but it would never forget that day. For years it stood high on the food chain, eating what it wished and when it wished. In time it began to think itself as untouchable.

Unbeatable.

Powerful.

Resourceful.

But all that changed. All thoughts of being number one went away the moment it faced that damned pack! Oh, it had faced and won against shinobi before, having eaten some of them, too. But that team with the strange dog was the first that it had ever faced and lost to.

It wasn't a good loss either. No. A good loss was taking two or three down before it had no choice but to retreat. But in this case, it didn't even bring down one of them. Not even close. It didn't even manage to get a taste of the large scorpion they defeated.

That was no mere defeat. It was ass-kicking, pure and simple. It lost its tail – though it grew back after some recuperation – suffered from nasty bites and scars and was forced to retreat to lick its wounds so it could live to fight another day.

But it knew its chance would come. It knew it would taste victory once again. Already it could feel the change and strength pulsing through it as it did so many years ago. It wouldn't be long now. It would happen and it would happen soon, too. And when it did, it would able to crush all that stood in its way.

But it needed to lay low and it needed to feed. It realized it needed to feed constantly. Already the ravenous feeling was coming back, and it had already eating not that long ago.

"Ugh, why are we doing this?" it heard a voice, but knew it was adequately hidden from view.

"For fuck sakes, man. The Chunin Exams are just around the corner. Hokage-sama wants every available and able-bodied Chunin to relocate the nastier beasties that live here. We wanna give them a spitting chance, not turn it into a blood bath."

"There just dumb animals," it heard the other man speak.

"Yeah? The first time the exam was held in the Forest of Death, only **six teams** made it to the tower. Most of them were half dead and couldn't even fight; some had to be taken to the emergency ward. We never found the rest and despite the waivers we nearly had a war on our hands. Turns out a few who went missing were prominent clan heirs."

"Shit happens during the exams, you know that. What's this gotta do with the animals?"

"Remember how I said we couldn't find the rest? Well, technically we only found the pieces they didn't like: half eaten faces, ripped up armour, and gear. And there were a ton of em. Ever since then the acting Hokage's ordered the relocation of the more dangerous beasts," the man wasn't referring to merely tigers and bears. There were insects and other unknown creatures that could kill even an unprepared Chunin if the opportunity presented itself.

And unfortunately for these two Chunin, they would meet such a fate seconds later. The last sight they'd ever see in this world was rows of oozing and jagged white teeth that clamped the life out of them.

For the Forest of Death was true to its name. Death was a common occurrence here.

* * *

 **(The Next Day, Naruto's Home)**

"Ugh," Naruto groaned. "I don't get why people drink," Naruto simply felt like complete crap. His stomach churned like a boat on a stormy sea, his vision was out of focus, and his head felt like an anvil being hammered nonstop. "Why isn't that fox bastard doing anything? Hell, why isn't my **Gamer's Body** working!" gazing at his blurred clock, Naruto realized – with some minor difficulties – that he had only been asleep for six hours. "Oh, right. Damn thing only works if I sleep for eight."

As Ino would put it: fan-fucking-tastic. "What happened anyway?" Naruto honestly had minimal recollection of last night. All he could recall was that Tsume and Anko drinking. And boy were those two women a regular pair of heavy drinkers and party animals. Didn't help that he and his team had been pressured into a drinking contest, "Ah, right. Now I remember," the rest, not so much. It was literally nothing more than missing scene after missing scene.

"Ugh," a moan to Naruto's right echoed in the room. "What the fuck happened?"

"Bad booze followed by bad sleep. Morning, Ino," Naruto replied. Saying it was a good morning would be a total lie.

Looking at him, Ino blinked before she went back to rubbing her eyes, "Good thing I'm used to sleeping with you… Though Hinata's snuggled in pretty deep by the looks of it."

"Huh?" true enough the female Hyuga to his left was clinging to his side like a teddy bear; her cheeks a rosy red, "Wow. Didn't think she'd drink this much."

"Anko's fault. She pressured Hinata more than either of us," as she was the more conservative of the group, extra coaxing had been needed for the Hyuga. "Don't remember much except bits and pieces…Oh, god!"

Naruto watched as Ino rushed to the bathroom as quickly as she her body would allow. Pretty soon his home would be filled with the sounds of the Yamanaka's hurling, "Great. To top off my day, later I get to scrub Ino's guts off my toilet."

"Hmm," Hinata moaned and snuggled in closer. Much like with Ino, Naruto was used to sleeping with Hinata. Their base camp primarily consisted of one makeshift shelter composed of wood, fibers and hides shelter. While it was far from perfect, it was decent enough to house all four of them. Though, one particular month had been very cold, even with the makeshift winter clothing Hinata made for them.

While it didn't really bother Hotto that much, it forced Ino, Hinata and Naruto to huddle up and use their body heat to keep one another warm. It was embarrassing at first – particularly for Hinata who'd become supernova scarlet – but all three had gotten used to it. Even after the frigid cold had passed, all three of them still did it from time to time.

"Gaki, you home?"

Naruto winced as he heard his teacher. "In here," he forced himself to call out; ignoring the throbbing in his head.

"Hey, Gaki. You know where … Oh, shit," Anko cursed as she saw a semi naked Naruto, Hinata, and a returned Ino, and quickly closed the door. "Gaki, I swear, had I known this wouldn't have happened. Just trust me and run as quick as you can."

"Huh?" before Naruto could ask what was going on, the door to his room opened courtesy of one Hyuga and Yamanaka patriarch.

" _Too late,_ " Anko knew this wasn't going to be pretty.

"Naruto, where's… Ino!" Inoichi gawked.

"Hinata!"

"Father!"

"Daddy!"

Time froze as the two fathers looked at their daughters who were clad in only their undergarments and in a room with a boy in the same position. While ninja were meant to be calculating and reasonable – making accurate conclusions within a short amount of time – the current sight of their daughters' hairs dishevelled and their clothes scattered threw all that to the wind. Both Hiashi and Inoichi were calm and collective men, the former moreso, but when the wellbeing and virtue of their daughters was put into question they became the polar opposite. A malevolent aura engulfed both fathers and their murderous gaze locked onto Naruto.

Naruto swore he could hear the words, "Target Locked!" the moment their eyes fell upon him.

In situation such as these, many were known to try and reason with would be executioners. Though the chances of them being listened to were slim to none. Naruto being Naruto decided on another course of action, "Ino. Hinata. Before I die, I'd just like to say it was nice sleeping with you both these last couple of months."

 **Due to you lack of tact your reputation with Yamanaka Inoichi and Hyuga Hiashi have decreased by 300!**

Inwardly he cursed, but knew it would be worth it if it saved his ass. Both men were stunned – as well as horrified – by the unexpected declaration. Which gave Naruto enough time to envelop the room in a sea of white as he made his escape. "Love ya both! If I live, I'll send ya cards!"

"GET BACK HERE!"

* * *

 **(Hours Later)**

"… Why?"

"Why what, Jiji?" were it anyone else, Hiruzen would have snapped at them. Even then, surrogate grandson or not, Hiruzen was tempted to do just that. The boy was lucky his Anbu had intervened when they did. Naruto was good, very good. But even with his talent at evading those he pranked, and despite no longer being as active as they used to be, Inoichi and Hiashi were still among his most skilled ninja. Naruto had only managed to evade them for a solid eighteen minutes, and more than once was just lucky to have escaped their clutches.

"I enjoy a bit of excitement every now and then, Naruto. But with you it's never that simple."

"Aim to please, Jiji," Naruto smirked.

"That's not a good thing!" the villager leader's eyes bulged comically, "Of all the things you could have done. You could have switched their clothes with neon pink frills, even plant stink bombs disguised as flowers!" hell, Hiruzen would have been fine with him even painting the clan compounds. "But to have slept with not one, but two clan heiresses!" technically Hinata wasn't the heiress anymore but that was beside the point. "Even I can only protect you so much, Naruto. What were you thinking!"

"Relax, Jiji. Don't give yourself a heart-attack," the comment made Hiruzen's eye twitch and the elderly Hokage forced down the desire to throw a stack of paperwork at the boy. "It's no big deal. We've been doing it for five months now."

Knowing about his **Gamer** ability to manipulate time in a dungeon, Hiruzen wasn't surprised by the timeframe. But that wasn't what almost stopped his heart from beating; "You've been doing this for months!"

"Oh, yeah. Anko said it was fine. Said we'd have to get used to it in the future," Hiruzen would admit it made sense; they were ninja and needed to do almost anything to get close to the target. Though as Hinata and Ino were heiresses, both were generally exempt from such missions unless they wanted to of course.

"So Anko is to blame for this?!" the man should have known.

"I guess?" Naruto nodded and watched as his leader grumbled. " _Payback's a bitch, sensei._ "

"Well, if that's a–"

"Actually, I have a mission for you and your team," Hiruzen announced.

"Really? Wait, what about our time off?" Naruto didn't care, but Ino was another story.

"I'm afraid I'll have to postpone it for another time," the man apologized. "It's a A-Rank mission," saying those magic words earned the boy's absolute attention. But rather than go into detail, Hiruzen told him to be patient and wait for the rest of his team.

Luckily, months in a dungeon where stalking and tracking your food was required did a number on Naruto's fidgeting. Beforehand the last ten minutes would have felt like an eternity.

"Hokage-sama," Ino, the last one to arrive, bowed to her leader. Though cordial, Naruto knew her well enough now to know she wasn't pleased. " _Probably didn't get to do her shopping spree._ "

"Good, now that all of you are here, we can begin," Hiruzen began, "As you all know, Konoha will be hosting the Chunin Exams this year and it's right around the corner. Less than three weeks, actually."

"Three weeks? I thought we had a month?" was Anko's recollection.

"Last minute changes that couldn't be avoid, unfortunately," Hiruzen explained. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence. "Which is why we are currently short-handed. As the host, many of our forces will act as guides and bodyguards for the participants of foreign bodies. It's our duty to ensure they arrive here safe and sound and with ample time to spare."

"So, we're babysitting the competition?" Naruto asked.

"In a manner. Normally it would be Chunin or Jonin who perform this duty rather than Genin. But, as I said, we are short handed. I suggest you pack for a week's journey at least," he announced before giving Anko a look.

"You heard the man. Go prepare, kiddies. Gotta go over a few things with Hokage-sama. Meet at the gate in two hours," she ordered and watched as they left. The mood turned serious when the room shimmered. "This isn't a simple escort mission, is it?"

"No, it's not. I thought it prudent that your team undertake this assignment because one of you will have a vested interest in who you are guarding."

Rather than explain, Hiruzen merely handed Anko a folder. The woman opened it and after a few quick glances at its contents, Hiruzen watched as the woman's eyes widened. "Well, shit."

"Indeed," Hiruzen agreed. If Jiraiya's informants were correct, it meant Kusa had an Uzumaki in their midst, a female Uzumaki.

* * *

 **(Elsewhere)**

Meanwhile, a shorthaired woman with crimson hair looked over her victim critically. The beaten kunoichi was bruised all over, her eye swollen shut and lip busted and bleeding. Torture and interrogation wasn't the Uzumaki woman's forte, as evident by the fact it took her two weeks to get her victim to finally crack and tell her what she needed.

"See, was that so hard?" Asagao got no response from the beaten woman. "Now, I'm off for the next little while. When I come back, I'll let you go. If, however, I find out you lied to me, you'll be wishing for death once I let my boss's boys loose on you."

The woman shivered and sobbed loudly, but Asagao didn't care. The Uzumaki woman didn't condone rape; having made it a habit to kill those who did, but when it regarded her clan, those that remained at least, she was fiercely protective. Women or men, Asagao wasn't afraid to put the fear of kami and worse in the minds of others, especially those that had a hand in her clan's destruction.

As she exited the room, the redhead suddenly began shouting orders, "Pack your bags, boys. We're heading for Kusa!"

* * *

 **Omake: Welcome to the Family!**

 **Due to your actions, your reputation with the Inuzuka Clan and its members has increased by 2000!**

" _Sweet!"_

Extending his hand in gratitude, the seventeen-year-old Naruto bowed to the clan head. Tsume returned the gesture before a thought popped into her head, " _Ah, what the hell! Kid's old enough,"_ yanking the teen in close, Tsume then proceeded to suck the lungs right out of him in front her daughter and Naruto's team.

Anko laughed, Ino and Hinata were stunned, Hana merely looked annoyed. " _I should be surprised… Well, not really,_ " Hana thought. It wasn't the first time this happened; if she was honest, Hana had lost count actually.

"Mhhmm?!"

"Mwhaaa!" the woman smirked. "Not bad, kid. Now let's see how good you are with the other bases," and forcibly dragged him into the compound.

" _Why the hell am I being treated like some kind of man-whore?_ " Naruto loved sex – sex was awesome! – but so far he felt like a piece of meat that every horny women wanted a chunk of. He had a feeling this was gonna be rough.

 **(Hours Later)**

"Oh, sweet kami above!" Tsume moaned, her sweaty and quivering form falling to the bed; followed moments later by her partner. Both said nothing except lay and relish in the afterglow of their postcoital activities.

" _Oh, fuck. She's good_ ," Tsume was a definite milf in his books. She was much different that his previous romp partners, she was like a wilder version of Ino and a more experienced Anko. Despite her feral looks, she was quite hygienic and properly trimmed, a plus in Naruto's books.

"Can't believe my son's classmate was such a sweat lay," Tsume laughed; Naruto paled as his mind finally processed the information.

"Oh, shit! Kiba's gonna kill me!" Naruto realized what a dumb move he pulled; albeit it was fucking awesome.

"No, you're fine. Article 104 – The mom of a bro is always off limits, unless she initiates it and/or is wearing one or more articles of leopard print clothing," Tsume told him. "I got bored and read one of Kiba's dumb books. So you're good, pup. Technique needs improvement but your tongue and stamina make up for it. Definitely in the top ten," a smiling and satisfied Tsume informed the exhausted blond.

"Th—thanks?" Naruto was unable to figure out what the hell just happened. No woman had ever recited the Bro Code before, without hashing out a beating afterwards that is, "Well, if it's all the same, I'm gonna go home now."

"Ah, relax, pup. It's time for round twenty-one; you can move your stuff in tomorrow," the woman gave him no time to react as she mounted him once more.

"Oh, god! Come on. At least give me enough time to … Wait, come again?"

"That's not something I can turn on and off, Naruto. Kinda only happens only when you put effort into it," Tsume deadpanned. Youths these days.

"Not that! The other thing!"

"You mean move your stuff in? Anko told you what we Inuzuka practice, right?" Tsume asked and watched him nod, "Good. So you know we're married now. Whole thing has been going on since the clan's founding. Haven't stopped it since. Shodai tried but relented to keep the peace. You can sleep around, don't care about that cuz I'll do the same, but you better not run away like my former husbands, husband," the woman emphasized her point by grasping his mini-me's jewels in a vice-like grip; the pain was further enhanced by her claw-like nails.

Naruto gulped at the threat and it only took a few seconds for him to realize had been punked once more, "GOD DAMN IT, ANKO!"

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Level: 37 Next Level: 44,678/62,400**

 **HP: 7600**

 **CP: 11825**

 **STR: 131**

 **VIT: 245**

 **DEX: 237**

 **INT: 371**

 **WIS: 120**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 115**

 **Perk:**

 **Uzumaki Lineage:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +50 HP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Fuinjutsu, -15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, Increased Lifespan

 **Chakra Affinity:** +10% increase in CP recovery rate, -10% CP usage towards chakra based techniques, +10% increase in power towards chakra based techniques

 **Special Perks:**

 **Gamer:** Allows you to live your life like a video game. You still don't know much about it though, but who cares life is good.

 **Kyuubi Jinchuriki:** Additional +3 VIT & +5 INT per Lv, +75 CP per Lv, +25% additional EXP and Effectiveness towards Power Type Fighting Style, -25% EXP and Effectiveness towards Chakra Control, -40% EXP towards Reputation gain with those with Neutral and lower, ?

 **Titles:**

 **Journeyman Konoha Kenjutsu-Ryu Swordsman:** +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Kenjutsu, Stealth **,** Feints and Movement Speed, +4 DEX, +2 STR per Lv

 **Grand Master Zombie Slayer:** 100% increase attack and defense against Undead, +50 towards stats when facing Undead, +50% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Prank King:** -10% EXP towards Reputation gain with those with Neutral and lower, +15% EXP towards Strategy & Tactics, +15% towards Stealth, Additional +3 DEX per Lv

 **Journeyman Ninjutsu Specialist:** +1 INT Per Lv, +25% EXP and Effectiveness towards Ninjutsu Skills, +25% Power Increase towards Ninjutsu Skills, -25% CP usage towards Ninjutsu Skills

 **Description:** Much of Uzumaki Naruto's background is shrouded in mystery. Currently a Genin with aspirations to become Hokage, Naruto has a long and difficult journey ahead of him before he can attain his dream. Due to great improvement and proper tutelage under Anko Mitarashi and Gekko Hayate, Naruto went from Dead Last to being a high middle rank student. Recently he has discovered that he is the jinchuriki of the Kyubi no Yoko, and the reason why he has the animosity of many.

 **Attribute Points: 62**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Level: 30 Next Level: 5543/38,800**

 **HP: (2725/2725)**

 **CP: (1075/1075)**

 **STR: 67**

 **VIT: 102 (7) = 109**

 **DEX: 105**

 **INT: 43**

 **WIS: 35**

 **LUK: 34**

 **DEF: 70**

 **Attribute Points: 44**

 **Perks**

 **Keen-Senses:** +30% Effectiveness & EXP towards Detection Skill, Ignores Henge, Very sensitive to powerful and pungent odours

 **Ninja Dog:** Human Lifespan, Ability to Mould Chakra, Potential to speak human language

 **Komainu Lineage (Guard Dog):** +4 VIT, +2 STR per Lv, +30% Effectiveness & EXP towards Biting Techniques, -5% Effectiveness and EXP towards Training and Reputation, Ability to use Katon (Unlocked)

 **Akita Lineage (Tracking Dog):** +4 DEX per Lv, +25% Effectiveness and EXP towards Tracking Skill, +30% Effectiveness and EXP towards Stealth, +30% towards Movement Speed during and outside combat

 **Special Perks:**

 **Gamer's Combat Pet:** A special perk that allows any of your combat pets the ability **Gamer's Body** , though they only earn a small amount of Attribute Points per level that you can allocate. However, this can be lost if you decide you don't want a certain pet or if your pet abandons you or dies.

 **Titles:**

 **Grand Master Zombie Slayer:** 100% increase attack and defense against Undead, +50 towards stats when facing Undead, +50% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Master Beast Slayer:** +80% increase attack and defense against Beast, +30 towards stats when facing Beasts, +35% additional drops and EXP from Beasts

 **Description:** A two-year-old ninja dog with Komainu blood in his veins. While possessing great potential like his cousin Akamaru, Hottomaru like most Komainu pups require a good amount of discipline and can be difficult to train but are fiercely loyal and protective of their owners and partners.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Yamanaka Ino**

 **Level: 31 Next Level: 32,469/41,600**

 **HP: 1900**

 **CP: 1025**

 **STR: 58**

 **VIT: 76**

 **DEX: 131**

 **INT: 41**

 **WIS: 188**

 **LUK: 25**

 **DEF: 65**

 **Perks:**

 **Enhanced Cognition:** +2 WIS per Lv, +20% EXP and Effectiveness to Detection, +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Chakra Control Skills, +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Skills learned through books and scrolls

 **Natural Grace:** +3 DEX per Lv, +25% Effectiveness towards Movement Speed in and out of combat, +25% Effectiveness towards Evasion,

 **Special Perk:**

 **Yamanaka Lineage (Heiress):** +3 WIS per Lv, +25% Effectiveness to all Yamanaka Clan Skills, +25% Reputation gain with Konoha and Konoha Allies, +25% EXP and Effectiveness Bartering with Konoha and Allies, 15% EXP increase from Konoha Missions

 **Titles:**

 **Veteran Botanist:** +30% EXP & Effectiveness towards Botany Skill, +30% EXP & Effectiveness towards Herbalism Skill, +30% EXP & Effectiveness towards Poison Skills

 **Journeyman Mind Walker:** +4 WIS, +25% EXP & Effectiveness towards Torture and Interrogation Skill, +25% EXP & Effectiveness towards Information Gathering Skill, +25% towards Chakra Control Skill, +25% Resistance towards Torture and Interrogation

 **Konoha's Ms. Beauty:** +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Seduction Skill, +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Bartering Skill, +20% EXP and Effectiveness towards Infiltration Skill

 **Master Beast Slayer:** +80% increase attack and defense against Beast, +30 towards stats when facing Beasts, +35% additional drops and EXP from Beasts

 **Description:** Though not as intelligent as her rival, Sakura, Ino is still one of the top students at the academy. Ino is talented in her clan's teachings but due to her attitude and infatuation with Sasuke she isn't as far or as proficient as she should be. Ino is notorious for her gossip and fashion sense, very little happens in the academy that she doesn't know about. Since her team in Team Eight, Ino has slowly begun to improve her skills and worth as a kunoichi. Though she still has a road ahead of her, Ino's continuous progress under Anko's tutelage will slowly but sure help get her there.

 **Stats: 58**

 **Money:** 295,460 Ryo (29,546$)

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hyuga Hinata**

 **Level: 32 Next Level: 4927/44,600**

 **HP: 2200**

 **CP: 1550**

 **STR: 49**

 **VIT: 88**

 **DEX: 153**

 **INT: 55**

 **WIS: 221**

 **LUK: 31**

 **DEF: 70**

 **Perks:**

 **Byakugan:** +3 DEX per Lv, +25% EXP & Effectiveness towards Medical Ninjutsu, Detection, Sensing, and Taijutsu Skills, Capable of seeing virtually through everything, body pressure points and at far distances

 **Main Family Lineage:** +3 WIS & +1 DEX per Lv, +10% Effectiveness to all Hyuga Clan Skills, +10% Reputation gain with Konoha and Konoha Allies, +10% EXP and Effectiveness towards Bartering Skill with Konoha and Allies, +10% EXP and Effectiveness towards Taijutsu and Chakra Control Skill, Risk of capture from Kumo shinobi

 **Titles:**

 **Journeyman Juken Practitioner:** +2 WIS, +2 DEX, +1 INT, +25% EXP & Effectiveness towards Taijutsu Skill, +15% EXP & Effectiveness towards Chakra Control Skill

 **Journeyman Combat Medical Practitioner:** +3 WIS & +2 VIT per level, +25% EXP & Effectiveness towards Medical Ninjutsu and Herbalism Skills, +25% Effectiveness towards Evasion & Blocking, -25% CP Cost towards Medical Ninjutsu

 **Master Beast Slayer:** +80% increase attack and defense against Beast, +30 towards stats when facing Beasts, +35% additional drops and EXP from Beasts

 **Veteran Undead Slayer:** +60% increase attack and defense against Undead, +20 towards stats when facing Undead, +25% additional drops and EXP from Undead

 **Description:** Hinata is a very kind but very shy young girl who comes from one of Konoha's four noble clans. Despite being trained in the art of the Gentle Fist at a young age, a renowned and deadly taijutsu, Hinata's skill is lacking for reasons currently unknown. While not one of the best students in the academy Hinata is still one of the more intelligent students. While most of the girls in her class are infatuated with Sasuke, Hinata is attracted to someone else. During her time in Team Eight her skills and confidence have slowly but surely improved. Her love for cinnamon rolls is said to rival Uzumaki Naruto's love for ramen.

 **Money:** 678,456 Ryo (67,845.60$)

 **Stats: 57**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: Feisty Redheads**

* * *

 **(Half a Day Later)**

"Still can't believe we're babysitting the competition," Ino groused, hopping from one tree to the next. "We might as well just give 'em a handicap."

"And I still can't believe you're still complaining about it. Get over it already, Ino!" Naruto told her; his reply was her flipping him the bird.

"Glad to see your bitchin's still intact, Blondie," Anko from up front called out. "And trust me, I don't like it anymore than you. I want you guys to kick ass, make me look good, and make me a lot of money."

"You're betting on us?" Naruto gawked, "… Actually, I can see you doing that."

" _Well, duh!_ " after so many months together her team should know her by now. She made it perfectly clear that she wasn't the average and stereotypical Jonin instructor. "Yep! And you'd better win or take em down with ya, or else."

"Or else what, Anko-sensei?" Hinata asked.

"I don't know… Back to the dungeon, make you do laps till you can't feel your legs for weeks?" truthfully she hadn't thought that far and she was pulling all this out of her ass. Though the groaning and moaning she heard got her point across. "Anyway, this will give ya the opportunity to know your competition, too."

"You make it sound like we're gonna be facing bandits or something," Naruto pointed out. Then again, better weak ass bandits and mercenaries than rogue nin. Thanks to Nami, Naruto had his fill for the next little while.

Anko merely shrugged before elaborating, "It's not uncommon for other villages to hire groups to sabotage the competition when they make their way over. Gives their own team a better chance at winning. That's why we do this."

Naruto frowned but nodded nonetheless. Ninja were meant to fight dirty but there were times where Naruto felt that a line had to be drawn. Naruto wanted to go all out and be pushed in this exam. That couldn't really happen if the competition was out of commission before it even began. "So Kusa. What'd you think we'd be dealing with?"

"Poisons and ambush tactics. Kusa's a minor village and country, but they're rich in various herbs and fertile land. Pretty good at getting info, too," Ino declared and felt all eyes on her, "The Yamanaka was originally from Kusa no Kuni before we migrated to Hi no Kuni along with the Nara and Akimichi. Plus mom and her family moved from Kusa to Konoha when she was young. Kusa's more or less the number one place in the world for poison production."

"How do know that?" Naruto asked.

"Other than messing with people's minds, my clan specializes in plants and making poisons out of em. Mom's parents were poison specialists so they taught her what she knows, and she began teaching me what I know when I got back," Ino finished with a smirk.

" _Joke's on you, Ino. Clan perks and the Kyubi sealed in me reduces poison effectiveness,_ " the boy smirked back.

"Ino's right. Kusa's fighting tactics have more or less been the same for the last couple of centuries. I'll let you guys figure out what else they're good at for yourselves," much like she stated months before, the woman wasn't going to babysit her team. For them to grow as ninja, they needed to figure things out for themselves.

"Speaking of which, you never did teach us how to lock-pick stuff, sensei," Naruto watched as Anko blinked before she mumbled incoherently.

"Um… Uh…"

"Or those other skills you promised. Yeah, when are you gonna teach us something, sensei?" Ino added. Most of their physical skills – along with their most basic ninjutsu – were either mastered or on the verge of being mastered.

In all honesty, Anko had forgotten about that. Oh, she could certainly teach them a few things here and there such as the lock-picking, and she had a few others things she fiddled with during the last month, " _But what else after that's done?_ "

Naruto's **Gamer** skill, coupled with his **Kage Bunshin** , and his dungeon time manipulating ability allowed them to learn things much more quickly. Most Genin and even Chunin took several weeks or sometimes months before they could properly use certain C-Rank or B-Rank techniques.

As a result of Naruto's unique gift, her team was learning and mastering them at a fraction of the time. Anko knew her team's chances of being promoted were pretty damn high. While there was no guarantee for Ino and Hinata – though she'd be surprised if they weren't – Naruto's overall raw power made him a shoo-in.

Chunin ranked ninja were normally promoted because they had the field and leadership experience, tactical mindset and power required of the rank. While Naruto's tact was unconventional most times, Anko had an inkling that it was enough to get him promoted. The sheer power demonstrated in his techniques would also play a defining factor, too.

" _Be pretty stupid to let someone with that kind of power stay stuck with the second lowest rank,_ " Anko surmised before thinking about her other students.

Where Ino and Hinata lacked in that department – compared to Naruto at least – they made up for it with their sound mindset, intelligence, and coordination. If all three were promoted, Anko had the intention of taking Ino on as an apprentice if she continued to prove herself. Newly promoted Chunin still stayed with their old team for the next couple of months while they were eased into their new roles.

Naruto and Hinata's fighting style and inner talents were too different from Anko's own compared to their Yamanaka teammate. Anko would recommend Hinata taking lessons from the combat medics, but she had no idea where to put Naruto. He was a wind user but the only qualified instructor – and the only one she trusted – was Asuma. And the man had his own team to deal with.

" _If anything he can train under Yugao and Hayate for the next little while_ _till I figure something out,_ " both had asked for him every time she met them. Hayate said Naruto certainly had talent with a blade, unorthodox as it was, and even since he joined her team the lessons had slowly declined. Either way, Anko would take the matter one step at a time and focus on what she and her team needed to accomplish.

Or, more specifically, what she needed to accomplish.

* * *

 **(Flashback)**

A month ago, Anko wondered if she should have kept her mouth shut when she told Hiruzen she knew about Naruto's mother. It certainly made things much more interesting, that's for sure. " _Meh. Life's too short to go the boring dull route."_ The outcome allowed her to learn more about the clan, what remaining information Konoha had, and had allowed her access to additional resources. She only knew bits about them through her bastard of a teacher beforehand, but it was limited.

Still, Anko couldn't help but recall the look her leader had at the time. If she was honest, it was a resigned one. And why wouldn't it be? Anko wasn't the smartest of ninja – talent didn't equate intelligence – but Hiruzen knew the young woman was sharp enough to put two and two together if the right circumstances presented themselves. Lying to her wouldn't work, and having her "disappear" was a no go – for multiple reasons.

So Hiruzen swore her to secrecy and told her what she needed to know. Anko suspected there was more but wasn't going to push her luck. Her student probably had a right to know before she did. The boy deserved to learn about his family. Speaking of which.

"Anko, you understand what needs to be done, correct?"

"I do, Hokage-sama. You know Konoha's rep is gonna take a blow for it, right?" officially her team's job was to escort the Kusa team, technically it was teams but all four teams represented the same village. Anko's off the book duty was simple: direct Kusa to the ambush site and subdue the teams.

"I do," would it damage Konoha's reputation? Hirzuen knew the answer was 'yes'. But Kusa's would suffer even more. The moment word got out that Kusa was forcefully holding ally clan members of Konoha against their will it wouldn't be pretty. While they slowly recovered from it – not completely though – many countries were still distrustful of Kumo for their Hyuga stunt. Force-wise, Kumo was the strongest of the Five. But as a result of their stunt, Kumo's economy suffered a severe blow due to loss of clients and allies.

But it was only due to the fact that they were part of the Great Five Shinobi Countries and their country's strongest hidden village that they managed to recuperate from the ordeal. While Kusa no Kuni was a major powerhouse back during the early days of the Warring States Era, like dust in the wind, those days were now long gone. Being the country's strongest and only hidden village – which wasn't saying much – the economic loss Kusagakure no Sato would suffer from, would greatly affect the rest of Kusa.

"However, if your team is as skilled as I know they are, it will more than make up for it. The Uzumaki Clan was our ally; one of my biggest regrets is not being able to help them in their time of need. She's an Uzumaki, and Kusa is using this poor girl as a walking medical station."

"How do you know?"

"Jiraiya's reports say they did the same with her mother," the man's visage contorted into a hateful scowl.

It only took Anko a few minutes to piece everything together, "They used her till she just couldn't take it anymore, could she," it made sense. If the mother were alive she'd be involved in the rescue attempt, too.

"Yes," the man growled and caused Anko to form a frown of her own. "If we don't do anything then this girl will certainly meet the same fate as her mother. We need to extract her and as soon as possible. Jiraiya says she's under constant watch so he can't make a move without compromising him," the man was very skilled at stealth but the odds of him being caught were stacked against him. Jiraiya was skilled, but not skilled enough to take on an entire village.

If he used his summons, Hiruzen knew his student could get her out quickly and with minimal no injuries. But it would also cause a great deal of casualties and collateral damage to innocent bystanders as a result. That was something Hiruzen wanted to avoid at all cost. The Third Hokage wasn't his later mentor Tobirama, who wasn't afraid to make an example out of an entire a village to send a message. "Also the chances of her defecting or being taken in by our enemies are highly likely. Maybe not today, but definitely somewhere down the line."

"Why? Who's eyeing her?" if she showed the trademark Uzumaki signs then Anko knew others would be looking to nab her. It didn't take a genius to know what tended to happen to captured individuals with unique qualities. It wasn't a pretty picture.

"Jiraiya suspects Kumo may be one," somehow that didn't surprise Anko, "Despite their failed attempt with Hinata, and the rest of the world becoming distrustful of them, I had Jiraiya keep a close eye on them. Their movements have been subtle and they appear trustworthy. But it's clear they've learned from their mistake," despite how it sounded, Anko knew the man meant in regards to getting caught.

"They've been looking around and while they lack the same level of intelligence network we possess, Jiraiya thinks they may suspect the girl to be an Uzumaki. But that's not the worse of it."

"What's worse?" she asked. The man followed up by only saying one word, but it was enough for Anko to instantly take the mission, "Orochimaru."

"I'll do it," she declared, making the man nod, "What's our backup?"

And there was the tricky part.

* * *

 **(Flashback End)**

In the end, the only backup Hiruzen could provide at the moment was four Anbu. Despite being regarded as the best of the best of a village, the numbers were still stacked against them. Luckily, Yugao was one of them so Anko knew it was decent backup.

There was no way in hell that the purple haired Jonin was going to let that sick twisted son of a bitch get his filthy malicious hands on that girl. Having witnessed and suffered through his twisted deeds first hand, Anko didn't want the few remaining family – distant as they may be – that Naruto had go through the same thing.

Torturing people was something the woman did because she was good at getting others to spill their guts. Well, that and it was fun. The woman wasn't ashamed to admit that she was a sadist.

Orochimaru's skill, loathed, as she wanted to admit it, was on a whole other level than hers. The man was a true artist when it came to torture; it came very naturally to him like a duck took to water. The man was more of a sadist that even Anko. However, compared to Anko's creepy quirkiness, his was more want to commit suicide after it was done.

Which meant they needed to hurry to Kusa and fast, "Double time people!"

* * *

 **(Elsewhere)**

"Go back," the woman ordered.

"Asagao-sama?" the woman's entourage questioned, looking at one another confusingly.

"Tell Harukichi-sama I'll be fine," the only reason she took these men along was because the **Supreme Godfather** didn't like it when she went out on her own. The man knew she was skilled, but he had a chivalrous side to him.

Ironic considering he had no trouble killing women and men, ninja or civilian, peasant or noble, in the most gruesome and painful manner if he saw them as his enemies. Part of her having an escort was also due to her being one of his greatest assets. The man wasn't keen on any harm coming to her. Though even she wasn't safe from his

"But–" the man's next words were caught in his throat as a crimson spiked chain hovered inches away from his head, threatening to skewer his brain.

"I said, go," she ordered one last time. The men got the message and the woman watched as they fled back home.

"Geez, think you could of scared em any further?" a voice rang in the clearing.

"Shut it, Meiko," Asagao spoke and watched, as a brown haired bare foot girl appeared. Standing at five foot seven, her hair in a ponytail with a black ribbon and sporting a pair of gold knuckle-dusters, it was clear she was a physical fighter.

"Seriously, you're no fun, Asagao-chan. You need to loosen up, you know. You know what you need?"

"I swear to god if you say I need to get laid one more time!" the woman emphasized her threat but producing more chains and pointing them at the younger woman. Despite being a brilliant scientist and being exceptionally focused when doing her job, Meiko had one of the most upbeat and quirky personalities Asagao knew.

"Not two minutes into seeing one another and already fighting… Can't say I'm surprised," another woman announced before she entered the clearing.

"Shaku!" Meiko greeted the woman with a flying embrace. Most would fall to the ground by the sheer force of the impact. Then again, Benishaku, or Shaku as Meiko liked to call her, wasn't most people, or most women to be exact. Standing at six foot ten, Benishaku was easily the tallest of the three, and easily one of the tallest women in the Elemental Countries, perhaps even the tallest Uzumaki.

The woman who held no traces of fat on her frame had a physique that was well defined. Her muscles, especially around her abdomen, were easily visible and one would assume they were made from marble. The only thing that made her stand out was her darker skin tone.

"Meiko," the woman greeted the younger Uzumaki with a motherly or sisterly smile. "You've maintained your training, yes?"

"What the hell kinda question is that? Can't exactly beat you one day without training," the girl grinned.

"True."

"I still say it won't do her any good," Asagao smirked as she got her rise out of the Meiko. That always made her day. "But enough chit-chat. You know why we're here."

"Yeah, yeah. Clan business?" Meiko said and her spunky demeanor changed into total seriousness. "How many?"

"Two: a boy and a girl. The girl's in Kusa, possibly a pureblood while the boy's in Konoha, possibly a half-blood," she frowned.

"Was he cute?" Meiko earned herself a smack upside the head via Asagao's chains. "Ow! The hell!"

"Whether he's cute or not is irrelevant!" the woman shouted.

"I didn't exactly hear a no, but, yeah, I get ya," Meiko, "But how do we get him to leave? Can't exactly force him to, you know."

"Regrettable as it is – and I can't believe I'm agreeing with you on this – I don't think it'll be possible. Konoha abandoned us when we needed them most, and that's boy's been living there for a long time. I doubt anything we tell him will get him to leave," Asagao scowled.

"Still blaming Konoha, huh?" Shaku merely closed her eyes and knew Meiko would soon regret bringing it up.

"You're damn right I am!" the woman shouted, her red hair now wild and menacing. "They abandoned us when we needed them the most! You have no idea what Shaku and I witnessed. The murdering! The raping! The destruction! Our whole way of life was taken away from us! And you want to know what Konoha did?"

"Asagao–" Meiko tried to apologize but never got the chance.

"Nothing! They did nothing but sit back and left us to our doom. Uzu was a small but powerful country and now it's nothing more than a pile of rubble and corpse. I estimate less than fifty Uzumaki remain. But I wouldn't expect you to under–"

"Asagao! That's enough!" Shaku barked; her eyes stone cold and her voice carrying authority. Despite her composure, the oldest of three knew how angry and riled up Asagao could get during her rants.

Of the three women, only Shaku and Asagao were pureblood Uzumaki while Meiko was a half-blood they discovered years after the massacre. Despite being an Uzumaki, Asagao believed Meiko took her lineage for granted and – due to being born years later – didn't truly understand the horrors of that fateful day. Which, in essence, was neither wrong nor right.

"What about the girl?" Shaku asked, trying to get things back on track and get Asagao to channel her emotions elsewhere.

"Right. The girl's another story. She's in Kusa but she was born with the healing gift, and Kusa knows about it."

"Fuck!" Meiko scowled while Benishaku scowled. Both knew that any Uzumaki born with that gift were highly sought after. A person with life-threatening injuries could be healed within minutes or even seconds if they consumed enough of their chakra.

"Indeed. And if my sources are right, Kusa plans to have her enter the Chunin Exams with her team and she's never been in actual combat. We need to get moving, now," Asagao informed.

"But Kusa's three days from here. By the time we get there we'll have missed them," Meiko stated.

Asagao merely gave her a flat look, "We're not going to Kusa. Whenever one of the Great Five host the Chunin Exams they are to send a team to guide and lead the contestants to said village. Konoha is doing just that," here the woman took out a blank scroll and sent a pulse of chakra that caused a holographic map to appear. Of the three, despite Shaku being the eldest, Asagao was the most skilled at fuinjutsu.

"Alright, here's Konoha and here's Kusa. At ninja speed, they'll reach it within two or two and half days. Standard procedure is they'll stay in the village to get all the paperwork in order for a day. If everything goes well they'll be leaving the next with the Kusa teams in toe. Now, we're on the opposite side of Konoha so we won't get to Kusa in time. But, knowing what I do, Konoha will be taking the same route back, here or here. I'll set up a few seals further up these paths to know which way they'll come. That's where we'll ambush them."

"Not wanting to crap all over your plan and all but there's gonna be three of us and seven of them if you exclude the redhead. Even if we catch em by surprise those are some odds I don't like," Shaku knew Meiko had a point. Shaku and Asagao were highly skilled Jonin level ninja while Meiko was a skilled fighter Chunin level ninja.

Under the right circumstances they could take on three teams and despite potentially suffering a few decent injuries they'd come out winning. Shaku knew that four or five, on the other hand, was too much and one of them would probably die as or be captured. The two would have serious injuries forcing them to flee.

And unlike Shaku and Meiko, who were ninjutsu and taijutsu specialists, Asagao was more of an ambush specialist. The short redhead Uzumaki was bloody skilled at ambushing and catching others by surprise if given time to prepare in advanced, but the woman wasn't the greatest of close combat fighters.

"Technically it will be us against five teams if my sources are correct," she ignored Meiko's disbelieving look and cursing, "Which is why I've brought in some additional … help."

"You didn't!" Shaku asked, knowing and not liking where this was going.

"… Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no! Hell, no! You asked _her_ for help! Are you crazy!" the girl accused.

"She's an Uzumaki! And the granddaughter of Uzumaki Ashina! Which makes her your clan leader!"

"I don't care if she's the clan head! She's bloody fucking nuts! You remember what she and those other nut jobs are doing, right?"

Asagao frowned but even then a part of her rational mind couldn't deny the truth of Meiko's words. However, the woman just as quickly dismissed those thoughts, "It's been done and she's agreed to help us. I suggest you deal with it. We move in five."

Asagao left without a word while Meiko ranted, raved and punched the nearby trees, making them shudder in the process, and leaving noticeable dents in them. "She's gonna drive me crazy! Shaku, do something!"

Shaku merely sighed, "What's done is done, Meiko. We both know we can't do anything about it and you know how she is?"

"Which one: The crazy nutcase or the pain in the ass that makes decisions without consulting use beforehand? You know, the one we call a friend?" Meiko asked. "You know, I don't get it. Why do you let her do this?"

"She's family, Meiko. One of the few we have left. And I learned long ago that once she gets it in her head, even if it means making deals with the devil, nothing will stop her," Shaku said.

" _That's what I'm afraid of,_ " Meiko thought. Harukichi, aka the Supreme Godfather, held the position in part thanks to Asagao. The woman was one of the few to inherit the rare ability to sense another's emotions. More specifically: ill intent. This made it easy for the man to know who to ally with and who to get rid of. With her help the man had not only gotten rid of the competition, but he also became the youngest yakuza to hold the title of Supreme Godfather.

Asagao had become his right-hand girl as a result. Even then Meiko wasn't a fan. She only met him once but it was clear the man was as fiercely intelligent as he was brutal. He was someone Meiko didn't want to piss off.

* * *

 **(Days Later)**

"So this is Kusa? Gotta admit, not as nice as Konoha," Ino stated, the girl believing it to be one of the reasons why her grandparents left in the first place.

"The land does seem to have seen better days," Hinata noted; some of the rice fields were in shambles or had very noticeable uneven terrain.

"The last few wars weren't exactly kind to it," Anko informed her student. Unlike Amegakure, another minor village, Kusa didn't possess incredibly talented ninja of exceptional power. Perhaps at one point in time, they did, but not presently. One of the main reasons why the Great Five had difficulties with Ame was due to Hattori Hanzo, aka, Hanzo the Salamander: a ninja that was only outmatched by a rare select few like Sarutobi Hiruzen. Kusa had no such ninja.

 **Your pick-locking attempt has failed!**

"Damn it!" Naruto shouted.

"I'm surprised, Gaki. With all those breaking and entering pranks you pulled you'd think you'd be good at this," Anko teased, ignoring the look he sent her.

Truth be told, the places Naruto usually broke into to pull his pranks were civilian establishments, " _Last time I tried a ninja home I got busted within seconds,_ " Naruto recalled. His distraction causing him to fail on the makeshift lockbox Anko made with a few supplies on hand and pit stops.

"Put it away for now," Anko ordered, "We got work to do."

Despite the grumbling, Naruto did as instructed and fell in line as they made their way towards the entrance of Kusagakure. Naruto noticed that the two guards didn't immediately react as soon as they saw them compared to Konoha; nor did he sense any other ninja nearby.

" _Either they're well hidden, or their security sucks,_ " based on what he heard so far, Naruto was inclined to believe the latter. While Anko spoke with a Kusa Jonin, Naruto took the time to sense his surroundings.

The tidbit of information regarding information gathering was pretty accurate, too. Kusa's citizens and ninja weren't exactly subtle; Naruto felt their eyes on him and his team, he could sense their movement.

" _Then_ _again, my_ _ **Detection Skill**_ _and_ _ **Sensory Skill**_ _are pretty damn high thanks to the dungeon_ ," a village could be famous for something but to those more skilled it wasn't as impressive. Constantly having to be on alert and tracking food every day for four months would increase as skill's level exponentially. The boy held back a smirk as he noticed the subtle movements of his ninken and the two kunoichi, " _Looks like I'm not the only one that noticed._ "

"Alright, thanks," Anko finished and brought her attention towards her team, "These are our one-day visas. Don't lose them. They said you're free to look around but they won't hesitate to throw us in the slammer if one of use causes any trouble."

"We're free to look around?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, you four are on your own, but try to stay together. And, for the love of Kami, don't cause a scene. Or get goading into one. I gotta go over some things with the heads of the village before we leave. Don't bother waiting up," Anko knew from experience that such meetings could last well into the night. The woman wasn't exactly a fan of these things, " _Man, this is gonna suck."_

Watching her head off to what was assuredly about to a dull meeting, Team 8 contemplated what to do next as they walked through Kusa, "Well, this is a first. We're in a new village, might as well see what they have to offer."

"Shouldn't we be gathering information for the Exam?" Hinata asked.

"With our skills, I don't think that's gonna be a problem, Hinata," Ino informed her team that Kusa was skilled in diplomacy, a trait they constantly use to read the movements of other countries and stay one step ahead of them. In addition, their ninja could also analyze techniques from other villages in a similar manner, making it hard to read a Kusa shinobi. "Apparently the ass kicking they got from the last wars put a damper on those traits if we can sense their movement."

"Or it could be a ruse," Hinata added.

"Maybe, but there's too much movement for it to be a ruse. Anko-sensei said that if you're gonna trick someone with bad stealth, have as few people as possible. I'm sensing too many, and mom told me Kusa ninja were renown for their stealth," Ino retorted. "Look, I get it. Keep your guard up but trust me, I know what I'm talking about."

It was clear to both Hinata and Naruto that Ino was adamant on her stance. Then again, Ino had ancestry from Kusa and it was evidently clear that she knew more than either one of them. They'd take her word for it, but guests or no, they weren't about to let their guard down in unknown territory.

"Alright, so what do you wanna do first?" Naruto asked.

* * *

 **XxX**

"Note to self: keep mouth shut next time," Naruto felt like kicking his ass. His ninken by his side was napping soundly, while Naruto was left with the ordeal of waiting in the dressing area as Ino and Hinata tried on clothes.

Opening the curtain to the dressing room she and Hinata were using, Ino asked, "What do you think?"

" _Why is she even asking when she knows the answer?_ " in Naruto's opinion, so long as the clothes were functional and comfy he was good and set to go. The boy cared little for fashion trends. But even he knew not to voice his true opinion out loud, "Looks nice, Ino."

"You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not," was the retort.

"Uh, yeah, you are. You never looked up when I asked you," was Ino's counter. Groaning, Naruto looked up and gave Ino a good look over before he blushed and started to develop a nosebleed. "Naruto?" Ino was confused by the action. Certainly, the outfit she wore showed off her curves and a bit of bust, but not to the point that Naruto should have a reaction.

"Kiyaa! Ino-chan!" Ino heard Hinata scream behind her. It was only then that she realized that her fellow kunoichi was braless and trying to cover up her impressive bust with her arms and nearby articles of clothing. " _Lucky,_ " was the Yamanaka envious thought, before she swiftly closed the curtain. Most girls four years older weren't as big as Hinata's.

Naruto for his part was still blushing. His initial reaction was to get up and leave but the scene of a braless Hinata continued to play out in his mind and subsequently caused a certain part of him to become excited. " _WORTH IT!"_

Eventually, it passed and he informed his teammates he was going for a walk to clear his head, and take in the sights. Partially due to some of the women in the store giving him dirty looks. Hottomaru joined his partner once roused from his nap. Luckily the clothes store was near the marketplace that sold local food, tools, supplies, and even ninja gear.

However, it became apparent that Naruto wasn't going to be spoiled for choice. Kusa's marketplace, while impressive, wasn't as vast as Konoha's. Except for the food and local plants being sold, much of the gear and weapons were the same at every stall.

"Nothing stands outs," Naruto muttered, not impressed with the gear he saw. The food was good at least, but that was about it. Either the good stuff was only accessible to higher rank shinobi or Ino was right about Kusa's current state.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" a voice behind him asked.

"Huh?" Naruto turned around and spotted a young dark haired boy, followed by two others. Based on their height and lack of vests, Naruto was inclined to believe they Genin. Quick use of his Observe told him it was the case, and their levels weren't all that impressive.

" _Their highest level is only eighteen_ ," Naruto noticed. Despite being a shadow of its past glory, it was apparent the genin of the Konoha were still a cut above those from a minor village.

"You heard me! What are you doing here?" the apparent Genin demanded.

"Taking in the sights, what's your problem, kid?" Naruto asked, though it only served to anger him. The boy made a movement that would have frightened other Genin but Naruto was unimpressed. The boy didn't get far either when Hotto jumped in between him and the boy and started growling.

"Hey! Take it somewhere else!" the Genin heard a stall owner shout, others were muttering in agreement. Naruto sensed eyes on him and was under the impression others were waiting for him to cause a scene. " _It's as if they want me kicked out of here,_ " Naruto frowned. "Come on, Hotto. We're leaving."

"Hey! I'm not done with you," the Genin tried once more but Naruto ignored him and continued on his way. Not wanting to get involved any further, Naruto grabbed Hotto and performed the **Shunshin** to leave the area behind.

Appearing on a roof top some ways away, Naruto watched as the Genin looking in every which direction before the lead cursed and stomped off. Naruto frowned, so far his impression of Kusa wasn't all that positive.

"Nice job, kid," Naruto spun as at the suddenness of it all. Unlike the Genin he had sensed, this one wasn't. Luckily, the origin of the sound was familiar.

"Ero-sennin?" the man grumbled, "What are you doing here?"

"First off, stop calling me that! Second, doing some work for the old man," was the vague response. Naruto doubted the Sannin would elaborate if asked. "Saw what happened. You did good, kid. Better than what Kushina would have done. She'd have beaten them to a pulp," the veteran ninja was sugar-coating it really; the woman in question would have kicked their asses and not cared about the consequences.

"Trust me, it crossed my mind," Naruto admitted, "Why'd he do that? Isn't Kusa an ally or something?"

"Only in writing. Alliances between ninja villages aren't iron clad; they can be broken just as quickly just they're made if an opportunity presents itself. Other ninja villages have used Kusa's land as the stage for their fights. The same with other minor villages and quite a few hold the Great Five in contempt for it. I'm not surprised you don't know, Sarutobi told me what's going with the academy," Jiraiya informed his godson. "Anyway, try keeping a low profile and stay with your team. You saw for yourself Kusa's got some bad blood with outsider ninja. They'll try to start it, but you're a guest here and you'll end up taking the fall for making Konoha look bad. Where are they anyway? Did they hit a growth spurt, too?"

"Yes, to the last one, and they're shopping for clothes. I got outta when I could; went to see the sights, and tried to find some gear," Naruto informed him.

"Gotcha," Jiraiya understood, "Good luck finding some decent gear though. Kusa's pretty basic ever since the Fuma Clan fell into ruin."

"Fuma Clan?"

"Kusa's founding clan; they were pretty famous back in the day for their shurikenjutsu and bukijutsu in general. Their leader during the twilight years of the Warring States was a pretty legendary ninja. He ranked as one of the top ten most powerful ninja in history. His clan fell began falling on hard times when he perished during the first war. The few remaining clan members left for the **Land of Rice Fields** a couple of decades ago, but they became nothing more than bandits and thugs for hire. Basically they're a pathetic shell of their former glory," the man had encountered a few of them in his youth before he fought Hanzo and members of the clan weren't to gawk at. Now – having encountered the few remaining members not that long ago – they were a mockery of what they used to be.

"So the Fuma Clan were the ones that made the good stuff here, huh?" Jiraiya nodded.

"Pretty much. The only ones who have access to what's left are the Jonin… and those who know where to find them," he grinned as he presented Naruto with a wicked set of shuriken.

* * *

 **Fuma Clan Five Star Fuma Shuriken – Rare Quality**

 **Weapon Type: Range, Slashing**

 **Attack Power: 39-45**

 **Durability: 70/70**

 **Description: A shuriken made by the once famous Fuma Clan of Kusagakure, known for the mastery of ninja tools and shurikenjutsu. Unlike ordinary shuriken and so-called "Fuma" shuriken, the Fuma clan fabricate five or tri-star shurikens out of chakra conducting metal instead of the common four star one made of iron. Despite its composition being mostly chakra metal, the Fuma Clan's secret forging technique allowed them to make their shuriken lightweight but incredibly durable. In addition, the reach and deadliness of the shuriken's blades is greatly enhanced with chakra, especially wind chakra.**

 **Requirements: Basic Shurikenjutsu and Kunai Skill Mastery**

 **Bonus Stats: +55% Chance to cause Severe Bleeding Status Effect, +35% Chance to cause Sever Status Effect, Chakra Flow Skill Effectiveness and Power increased by 25%, Futon Chakra Flow Skill Effectiveness and Power increased by 50%**

 **Special Trait: Summoning Seal**

* * *

"Whoa," Naruto would wholeheartedly admit this was a high-quality shuriken. The ones he currently had on hand sucked by comparison.

"Pretty neat, huh? Wasn't exactly easy to get and apparently these aren't the best stuff either," Jiraiya admitted.

"If this isn't their best stuff it makes you wonder," Naruto said. The shuriken was lightweight just like the description said they'd be. Naruto knew just by holding them that they were much lighter than his ordinary "Fuma" shuriken.

"Glad you like em, kid. They're yours," Jiraiya smirked at his stunned look. "Shurikenjutsu isn't really my style. Besides, you're a weapon user and you have a wind affinity. It'll suit you more than me. Here, I put a summon seal on them. Place this seal on your gauntlets and it'll let you summon them back."

"Sweet!" Naruto couldn't believe his luck, the boy proceeding to do just that with his gauntlets.

"Arf!"

"Huh?" Jiraiya looked down at the tail wagging ninken who was looking directly at him. "Oh! Uh, sorry, pooch. I got nothing for ya," Hotto's response was to whine.

"Quit whining, Hotto. We'll stop and get you a T-bone or something," Naruto told him, bringing the ninken out of its funk. Speaking of which, Naruto realized he had never tried ramen outside of Ichiraku Ramen, "See ya later, Ero-sennin. Come on, Hotto!"

"Damn it, gaki!" Jiraiya was tempted to give chase and teach him a lesson. However, the man had work to do before the ambush took place. If all went well, Konoha would have two Uzumaki instead of one. " _And hopeful a reborn Uzumaki Clan, too_."

Jiraiya remembered it as though it was yesterday when Kushina told him and Minato her dream, other than becoming the first female Hokage that is. Deep down, Jiraiya suspected Kushina knew she didn't have the right qualifications for becoming Hokage.

She was a talented and highly capable kunoichi but she wasn't Kage level material. No. This dream was something else. Something grandeur, as Kushina put it: the rebirth of her clan. It was one of the reasons why Minato was fine with Kushina keeping her maiden name instead of taking his. Unfortunately, that dream was put on hold with her and Minato's untimely demise. Now it was up to Naruto to accomplish his mother's dream.

XxX

(The Next Day)

"Today's the day. You guys ready?" Anko asked her team; who were gearing up and preparing for anything.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Naruto said, sharpening his newly acquired shuriken with the whetstone Hayate had given him.

After spending a couple of hours trying to find a decent ramen stand – something Naruto believed Kusa sorely lacked – the boy and his ninken made their way to the hotel they'd be staying in. It was apparent that despite their supposed skill in diplomacy, much of Kusa's inhabitants didn't care for outside ninja. More than once he was almost goading into a fight or given the cold shoulder. The latter one stung a bit more giving his background.

But that wasn't what made Naruto dislike Kusa. What pissed him off was Kusa using one of his clansmen's like a disposable med pack. Anko explained her reason for not informing them earlier as a need to know basis and because she didn't want Kusa becoming suspicious.

Ninja were good actors but apparently, Kusa still had a few decent ninja that could pick up on their behavior, despite their decline in quality. At least now their attitudes would be chocked up as a result of the lackluster welcoming they were given.

"Still can't believe you're from a clan, Naruto," Ino said.

"Tell me about it," Naruto had only just found out a little over a month ago and still couldn't believe it. While he wasn't allowed to tell anyone until he passed the exam, given the current circumstance, Anko was authorized by the Hokage to inform Ino and Hinata, but just the bare minimum. Both had reacted differently to the knowledge. Ino initially believed Anko was pulling a prank and Naruto was in on it before she realized both were being serious. Hinata on the other hand had given Naruto a hug and said she was happy for him to have found family, no a matter how distant they might be.

"I still can't believe they're doing that to her," Ino said.

" _I can,"_ Hinata thought. The Hyuga heiress counted her blessings that her kidnapping ended in failure. What was happening to Naruto's kin could easily have been happening to her. Anko forwent tell them her name since they'd be introduced in just a bit and because they didn't want to alert the Jonin.

All they did know was that she had red hair and that once they reached the ambush site it was up to the Genin of Team 8 to get her to Konoha as quickly as possible while the Anko, Jiraiya and the Anbu held them off. Knowing what she did, Anko wouldn't put it past Kusa for sending another team to keep an eye on the girl. She wouldn't be surprised if the Sandaime also suspected the same thing.

"No matter what happens, you guys are only to engage if absolutely necessary. Your job is getting her to Konoha and leave the fighting to us. Got it!"

"Got it!" the three chorused.

"Arf!"

Anko nodded. The woman knew her team could handle themselves, but that wasn't the purpose of the mission. "Naruto, think you can use that Fast Travel thing of yours?"

"So long as we're far away from the fight and we're not in combat ourselves, definitely," he told her. The option certainly made things easier for them, though other would wonder why they were back so soon.

"Good. The moment you guys see your chance, take it and run like hell. The sooner you're back in Konoha, the better." With that said and done, Team 8 put geared up, put away their tools, left the room and began to make their way down to the village entrance.

* * *

 **XxX**

"You gotta be kidding me," Naruto really hated his luck at times. Naruto watched as a group of Kusa genin and Jonin make their way towards them. Within them, Naruto saw the same little shit that tried goading him into a fight.

"What's up with you?" Ino asked.

"Remember the prick I met yesterday," Ino nodded, vaguely remembering the conversation, "Well, there he is."

"Grrr," Hotto growled as the dark haired boy neared their location.

"Naruto-kun, we can't be causing a scene, remember?" Hinata told him. Naruto's frown remained but he nodded. Which was ironic considering what they'd do to the Kusa team in a couple of days.

As the teams arrived, Anko left to meet with the Kusa Jonin while their Genin made their way towards them. Sure enough, however, trouble began, "Hey! What are you doing here?"

" _Oh, for the love of,_ "Naruto thought, not five seconds and already it started, "Do you know any other words, kid? What's it look like I'm doing! We're your escorts."

The boy scowled but shifted his gaze to look at them all, "Aren't Chunin supposed to escort us? You don't look like much in my opinion."

"Looks like the rumours were true," a Kusa Genin with dirty blond hair spoke, "Konoha's quality has gone if they're forced to send Genin."

" _Oh, you little mother fucker,_ " Ino was sorely tempted to kick the boy's nuts until nothing but paste remained. However, Ino also knew it was potentially a tactic to get her team mad and to start saying things Kusa could us. The Yamanaka was still pissed, but decided to go about a more tactical route, "And here I thought Kusa was known their information gathering skills. Ever think the Hokage might have sent us because we're just as skilled as a Chunin?" before they had time to respond, Ino continued, "I didn't think so. No wonder my grandparents left this dump if this is all ninja amount to."

"Kusa's a great village!"

"Oh, yeah, it is. Probably explains why your founding clan left you," Naruto smirked as the rage bubbled forth their eyes.

"Alright, break it up. You'll have plenty of time to make friends during the exams," Anko cut it. "Now, I expect you all to keep up and be civil with one another. You're ninja. Not a bunch of wet behind the ears academy students with temper tantrums."

" _They started it!_ " both sides thought.

"Take this opportunity as a lesson, brats. There will be times where you're expected to guard or escort someone and chances are they wont be the easiest of people to get along with. Believe me, I've guarded a quite a number of people that pissed me off so much I was tempted to chop em into little pieces and blame it on missing ninja. Would have been easy to do it, too, with no witnesses. A few well-placed snakes, a few exploding traps, sneaking into their bed at night and slicing their throats," Naruto, Hotto, and Ino were loving the expression the Kusa and Jonin displayed. Even Hinata had to force back a small giggle.

"Hell! I could have gutted them like fish in broad daylight and use their insides like Christmas ornaments. But that would be wrong, and we're professional ninja of Konoha. No matter how much they'd deserve it," she ended her speech with a smile. "Right! Forward and onward, kiddies."

Naruto merely looked back at the stunned group of Genin and with a smirk, "Well, you heard her," the boy said before moving on with his team. Leaving behind a stunned group of Kusa ninja.

* * *

 **XxX**

The next few days that followed were relatively peaceful. Relatively being the key word. Once the Kusa ninja got over their fear did their Genin begin to insult their Konoha entourage. While it wasn't as intense or as direct as before, it was evident whom they were speaking about.

More than once did Naruto wish to turn them a new asshole, while Ino wanted to liquefy their brains and feed them to the zombies. Anko was tempted to feed them to Midori. Hinata was the more dignified of the group, but her team knew her well enough she that was far from pleased. Hinata's proficiency over her Juken now allowed her to cause continuous and painful spasms to occur in one's body. If used it was a sensation the Kusa Genin wouldn't forget any time soon.

" _If I can land at least one blow on that asshole before we leave would be good enough for me,_ " it wouldn't be a love tap either. Naruto would hit him so hard he'd be seeing starts for months.

However, the boy knew he needed to focus. They were only a few miles from the ambush site. Hopefully, the few of the twelve Genin that hadn't said anything about Konoha would be relatively unharmed. Karin, however, hadn't been one of those that didn't say anything. Though nowhere as bad as her fellow ninja, the Uzumaki girl had either taken to agreeing with her teammates or staying quiet altogether.

Having been in similar shoes, Naruto knew it was a self-defence mechanism. The girl said things to appease her teammates or said nothing to anger them. She was seeking approval – though if it wasn't the good kind – even if her opinion might contradict what they said, the girl went along with it.

"Hold it!" Anko suddenly declared to the group. Out from the woods, the bushes rustled and cracked before they saw a large green constrictor appear before them. "Midori, what's up?"

" **Ninja are up ahead**. **I believe they may be Iwa shinobi,** " the serpent hissed, the Genin tensed.

"Iwa wouldn't be foolish enough to do such a thing!" one of the Kusa Genin declared.

"Trust me, kid. Ever since the Yondaime wiped the floor with them in the last war, Iwa hasn't exactly been all that cozy. I wouldn't put it passed them to pull this shit and claim the ninja as missing ninja to cover their asses," the woman spoke truthfully on that former regard; the latter only being a half truth.

The Iwa ninja up ahead were, in fact, Konoha Anbu in disguise. Phase one of the plan had begun. Now it was on to phase two, "Midori! Think we can take em without casualties?"

The serpent shook her head negatively, " **Based on the chakra I sensed from them, it would be too risky. I scouted ahead, and the alternate route is safe… for now at least."**

"Yeah, but how long till they figure out we noticed em?" Anko frowned. "Alright, here's the plan. I'm gonna need one of you to come with me to take care of em. Iwa ninja are known for their quantity, not quality. Wouldn't put it passed them if they had backup forces somewhere so we need to buy em some time. The rest of you hightail it to the border. The new path will take longer to reach the border but it's the safest route at the moment. Get to the border as quick as you can. Even Iwa isn't stupid enough to follow you once you're over," the Kusa Jonin knew her reasoning was sound.

Despite being one of the Great Five – bare the exceptions – Iwa produced more quantity than quality ninja. But it was enough to mark them as one of the Great Five despite their fighting method during the last wars. It was more or less brawn over brain, overpowering their foes with hard hits, damaged terrain, and exceptionally large numbers than with true tactical proficiency.

"Why just one?" asked Karin.

"Less chance of us getting caught when we sneak up on em. We'll draw their attention and have em chase us long and far enough for you to get to the border before we make our own escape. Konoha's responsible for your safety so long as you're part of the Exam," Anko informed them before she looked at Naruto, "Naruto, once we head out, you'll be in charge of leading 'em outta here."

"Him!" was the annoyed Kusa Genin's reply.

"Shut it, piss stain! When I'm not around, Naruto's in charge. He'll lead you to the border. But if you wanna bitch about it then by all means leave and go get yourself killed. Konoha won't be held responsible just because you didn't want to listen," the woman snapped. Just as the boy looked like he was about to retort, he kept his mouth shut when his instructor sent him a harsh glare.

With that matter taken care of, Anko and one of the Kusa Jonin split off while Naruto led the group down the other path. The group waited before they were out of sight before they began running like bats out of hell. Five minutes later the group began to hear the sounds of explosions in the distance and saw birds flying away from the area and dust clouds form.

"Sounds like sensei's traps are going off," Naruto commented, another explosion sounding off soon after.

"How do you know?" one of the Jonin asked.

"Let's just say we've been real intimate with her traps and leave it at that," Ino deadpanned. The rest of her team having similar looks as they recalled the memories.

As they continued to run to the border and closer to the ambush site, one of the Jonin ordered, "Karin! Scan ahead!"

"Huh?" was all Naruto said, and not liking where this was going.

"Karin's got a technique that lets her scan an area miles away," one of the Genin commented.

"Bu-but I–"

"Do it!" the Jonin ordered, his tone having more bite to it. Nodding fearfully, Karin closed her eyes and began to concentrate on her task.

" _Oh, fuck. Not good,_ " Naruto knew that while the Anbu with Anko as in disguise, the ones on the ambush site weren't. The boy shared a look with his team and all three knew they'd have no choice but to improvise. The Genin were one thing, the Jonin would be harder, and together it was not going to be an easy fight.

Just as they were about to take action, Karin suddenly commented, "There's fighting up ahead!"

"What!" the entire group shouted, just as an explosion of dirt and dust occurred not ten feet away from them. A harsh growl-like sound was soon heard and everyone watched as creature appeared before them.

Its face resembled that of a wolf but that was where the similarities ended. The rest of its body was electric blue. Gold horns adorned its head and spike like plates ran down its back, ending in a long flat tail. Its arms were muscular, and its front paws had wickedly large claws; sharp enough to slice a tree with minimal effort. The beast size was twice of not three times as large as Hotto in his mature form.

"Awrrooo!" the beast howled before it pounced on them with frightening speed. Its paw crashing down unto the earth, cracks forming as the raw strength behind the blow caused the ground to buckle and cave in under the pressure.

One Jonin attempted to sneak up behind it but in a display one wouldn't believe possible for a creature this size, it swiftly back flipped and smacked the unprepared Kusa Jonin. The force behind the blow sent him skidding dozens of meters away before his body crashed into a boulder, developing a noticeable dent in the process.

"Jinouga! Grabbed the red head!" a voice rang in the clearing. Landing some feet away from them, Meiko then dashed and delivered a harsh punch to a Kusa Jonin's face. But the splintered remains of a log replaced the body, and the girl was forced to dodge a hail of shuriken that struck the ground she once occupied. Ino noticed a small haze of purple rising up from them.

Landing in the group of surprised Kusa ninja was Shaku, the woman's unexpectedly tall stature further surprising the group. But the woman used it to her advantage and proceeded to strike ninja, Genin and Jonin alike. The Genin near her were taken out of commission non-lethally. Despite how they treated her kin, Shaku shared Asagao's stance on not killing children. But it didn't mean she wouldn't beat the living daylights out of them if they got in her way.

Away from her, crimson chains began to circle around the battlefield. Snaring anyone that was caught and draining them of energy or stabbing forward like unforgiving spears, pinning them to the ground or nearby object. Other beasts like the blue wolf, though smaller and much more wolf-like, and possessing a dirty orange or dirty grey mane, began to appear on the battlefield as well. The new creatures roars created oppressing cyclones that sent those unfortunate to be caught in them soaring through the air.

As this was happening, Naruto frowned in contemplation, " _Wait a minute. Red hair, a lot of chakra?_ " he thought before it finally hit him, "Holy shit! They're Uzumaki!"

"What!" he heard Karin shout in disbelief. "Wait a sec. How do you know about that?"

"Uh… Fuck it!" this was definitely not part of the plan. Naruto knew one of the attacking kunoichi was Asagao, unless there were others with crimson chains. The other two ninja were unknown, but their red hair made him believe they were Uzumaki.

But lost kin or no, the Uzumaki members were launching attacks on the Konoha Anbu. The ambush was now a bust and Naruto knew they needed to get the hell out of here. But first thing was first. Whirling about, Naruto drew out a makeshift staff from his time in the dungeon and swung it horizontally. The act sent the unprepared Kusa Genin skidding, giving him a B-line to his target.

"Hey! What the hell are you–"

Hosting his lost and confused kin over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, Naruto shouted, "Sorry! No time to explain!" before sprinting off like mad, his teammates and ninken following after him.

"Put me down, asshole!" the girl continued shouting, pounding her fists on his back.

Despite her lack of combat experience, Naruto had to admit her blows packed a decent wallop. " _Must be an Uzumaki female thi – OW! Okay, that hurt_!"

"Stop them!" the group heard a Kusa Jonin shout to his Genin. With Karin in his arms, Naruto opted to conjure up a dozen Shadow Clones to deal with them instead. The unexpected maneuver caught them off guard, and Naruto watched on in satisfaction as one of his clones struck the asshole Kusa Genin in the face.

"Plenty more where that came from, asshole!" he heard his clone shout.

But some of the Genin managed to pass his clones due to the attacking beasts. The Genin's efforts, however, were futile. A cloud of smoke soon blanketed the area in front of them, courtesy of Ino. The moment the Kusa Genin made their inside was it all over. Within seconds they were out, but their movements were noticeably sluggish and incredibly uncoordinated. Soon they unceremoniously fell to the ground like cut trees.

"That cloud was mixed with a heavy dose of sleeping powder," Ino told her team. "It's fast acting but the effects will wear off in ten minutes, give or take."

"Sorry about this cuz. Book it then people!" Naruto ordered his group, all four of them picking up a noticeable amount of speed, and the movement of it all making it too difficult for Karin to continue pounding her fist. Forcing her to hold on to his clothing instead.

" _Cuz?_ " Karin thought.

"Stop! Don't let–" the Jonin never finished as he felt the cold unforgiving steel of a sword at his throat.

"I'd stay still if I were you. Twitchy hands and all," the Neko masked Anbu stated. The Kusa Jonin gulped in retaliation but knew he couldn't surrender and go back without the girl. What happened to her during the exam was of little consequence; outside of that Karin was his responsibility. The village council made themselves quite clear on the matter and he knew he couldn't back down without a fight.

* * *

 **XxX**

"Where is she?" the hologram asked Asagao. The woman was a good distance away from the actual battlefield but had a bird's eye view as she launched her attacks from the safety of her post.

Asagao frowned for a second before responding, "She's being taken away from the battle… the Uzumaki boy has her."

"The one from Konoha?" Asagao nodded and frowned. Getting Karin out of Konoha would be extremely difficult thanks to their security measures, measures that were put in place by her clan's forefathers.

"My chains are out of reach. But I have a trap in place. If I activate it now the explosion will only–"

"No!" the hologram bellowed and rippled. "The risk is too great! I will not lose what kin we have left! Concentrate on the battle. Have Meiko and Jinouga intercept them. Make sure they aren't killed! Kill the rest."

"Hai, Honoka-sama."

* * *

 **XxX**

"So long story short, I'm an Uzumaki, too," Naruto finished.

Karin looked skeptical as she looked at the blond's hair. Naruto's chakra was similar to her own but that was about it. Then again, Karin was a full-blooded Uzumaki so the red hair was pretty much assured. Half-blooded Uzumaki were give or take.

Naruto wasn't surprised that she didn't instantly believe him, and tried another approach, "Look, this is a scroll that Jiji said used to belong to my mom. Apparently, she was kinda anal about her stuff so she put in blood seals. Only someone with Uzumaki blood could unlock it."

Cutting his finger, Naruto proceeded to spread the blood onto the seal, which allowed it to open. Naruto repeated the procedure to lock it back up and then handed over to Karin. The girl frowned but knew the boy wasn't lying. Except for the basics, Karin didn't know how to perform seals due to lack of instruction. Her skill was more into sensory and healing. However, her mother did teach her a few things regarding her Uzumaki heritage.

" _This is the same seal mom showed me_ ," Karin recalled. The lines, the characters, everything down to the very last detail were perfectly alike. Cutting her finger, Karin performed the same action as Naruto and watched as the seal glowed and become unlocked.

"Okay, you've convinced me," Naruto smiled. He knew that he had a while to completely earn her trust, but it was a start in the right direction. "So what's the plan?"

"Bringing you to Konoha. I think Jiji will want to meet you," Naruto said.

"Jiji?" another Uzumaki, Karin believed.

"He means Hokage-sama," Ino told her.

"Naruto-kun and Sandaime-sama are very close. He sees him as his grandfather ever since he was little," Hinata spoke.

"Okay, sure. Who are you?" Karin asked, unfamiliar with the group despite traveling with them for the last couple of days.

"Right, sorry. We've never been properly introduced. Hyuga Hinata, pleasure to meet your acquaintances, Karin-chan," Hinata greeted.

"Yamanaka Ino, nice to meet you," Ino introduced. "You've already met Naruto."

"Yo!" Naruto saluted, "And this mutt here is Hottomaru. My ninken and partner in crime."

"Arf!" Hotto barked and began to sniff and circle the female Uzumaki.

"Uh, hello. Uzumaki Karin," was all an slightly uncomfortable Karin could say, "Hey, you mind giving me a little space there!"

"Back up, Hotto! Sorry bout him. He can't help himself at times."

The group's discussion as cut off as an explosion was heard, "Mina, that sounded very close," Hinata told the group and a quick area scan via her clan's eyes told her their foes were making their way towards them. They're headed this way. We need to get going before they catch up."

"Don't have to tell me twice," no way in hell was Karin going back to Kusa. While the fighting Uzumaki were an option, Karin didn't like the feel of the chakra she sensed. While she couldn't sense them, she still felt the chakra signature of the one that was controlling those beasts. It wasn't a pleasant one.

"Naruto, can we use it now?" Ino asked, but got a negative in response.

"We have to wait a while and we need to be further away from the fight before we can," the boy told her. "Let's pick up the pace then people."

With that said and done, the group's speed increased by a considerable amount. Though Karin's VIT and CP were very high for a non-combatant, her DEX was considerably much lower than Team 8, forcing her to ride on Hotto's back as the group ran for the border.

While on route, one kunoichi couldn't help herself, "Quick question," Ino chirped in, "What's with all the women? I mean, so far the only male Uzumaki I've seen is Naruto," while it wasn't the best time, Naruto was also curious about that.

From her place on Hotto's back, Karin merely shrugged, but answered nonetheless, "Weird genetics. Mom said that aside us having a lot of chakra, Uzumaki give birth to daughters four times outta six. Uzumaki who marry outside the clan are essential like the rest of the world, but the odds of having more daughters than sons is still fairly high."

"So if I were to have a kid," something Naruto had no intention of having soon, "it would be a girl?"

"You're half Uzumaki so I wouldn't know, really," here she smirked, "But if I was the mother it'd likely be a girl."

Naruto blinked the implications before he turned green and nearly stumbled on his run, "Uh, thanks but no thanks. For all I know, you could be my cousin or something."

While not to the same extent as Naruto, Karin's smirk disappeared as she, too, turned a bit green, "First cousins, doubtful. Mom and dad were an only child," but it didn't mean they weren't second or third cousins. Which wasn't an appealing thought in her opinion. "But if you were to have kids with – Hinata or Ino was it? –chances of your firstborn being a girl are pretty high. Both sides of the family play a role, really."

" _A child with Naruto-kun!_ " the thought sent images into the Hyuga's mind, along with others that made her go scarlet. Luckily, the girl didn't faint but her face stayed crimson.

"So, possible incest relationship, and Hinata and I being Naruto's future baby momma aside, what now?" Ino asked. "I get why Hokage-sama had us rescue you, but that can't be the only reason?"

Naruto was tempted to lash out for that train of thought, but the blond Uzumaki had to acknowledge Ino's reasoning. Hinata, it seemed – despite the remaining signs of her blush – had come up with one of her own.

"Ano, I can't be certain, but I think Hokage-sama wants to restart the Uzumaki Clan," Hinata interjected and felt all eyes one her. "I mean, Naruto-kun is the only male and Karin-chan is a female Uzumaki."

"What's that got to do with it?" Naruto prayed this wasn't going to go in a direction he didn't like. Ino was tempted to pull a joke but decided against it.

"Ever heard of the LPA?" Ino wasn't surprised when he bore a confused look, "Never mind. It stands for Lineage Protection Act. I think they used to call it the Clan Restoration Act back in the day. Anyway, it came into being during the early years of the Founding Era when a lot of clans went extinct or pretty close to it. A few years after the Era of Warring states came to an end, the daimyos made future polygamy marriages illegal. However, in the case of the LPA, the daimyos of the Great Five passed a law saying a clan was allowed to practice polygamous marriages if they fit certain criteria and was approved by the daimyo of their country."

"So, what, multiple wives?" Naruto asked.

"Technically it was one wife while the ones afterwards were considered mistresses or concubines, Naruto-kun. During the Era of Warring States, clan heads and their heirs generally had two or three wives. When that Era came to an end, the only ones that were allowed to practice this was the Daimyo. While polygamous relations were acceptable, only the daimyo were allowed to marry multiple women. The first born of the head wife, even if he had already had other children, was considered the clan heir," Hinata recalled the lesson.

"The Lineage Protection Act, however, allows a man whose lineage would enhance the military might and influence of his daimyo's country. Usually, he would only be allowed to marry no more than three or four women, and a man was considered lucky to be granted even that many," Hinata added.

"Lucky?" having two wives was considered lucky in Naruto's opinion.

"The common number is two. The daimyo determines the amount based on how important and influential the new clan will be to his country in the long run and by how strong the candidate for the LPA is. Well, that and because the daimyo believe only they have the right to marry multiple women," if Ino recalled correctly, the current daimyo of Hi no Kuni had one wife, Madam Shijimi, and four or five mistresses. The number of concubines he had was considered relatively small compared to other daimyo.

"As much as I'd like to see my clan up and running again, that doesn't really sound like something I wanna be a part of. If I marry someone, I don't my other wives feeling like they're second fiddles just because they I didn't marry them first," on the off chance it did happen, Naruto would be treating them equally and he'd expect the same from his first wife.

None of that cliché superiority shit he saw in video games where jealous or scorn concubines vindictively plotted for the seat of head wife. Usually because they were treated like crap compared to the other higher-ranking concubines. Naruto didn't doubt such a thing was based on real life and he had no intention of going through that emotional roller coaster.

"Well, you're in luck then," Ino cut in, "In Hi no Kuni, women who enter a polygamous marriage generally have equal standing no matter what clan or where they came from or what order they married in."

"Didn't you just say–,"

"The daimyo are the ones that still follow the ranking system when it comes to their wives and heirs. Those who start a clan or repopulate one can do the same but it's not written in stone or mandatory of em," Ino elaborated. "Hell, they don't have to participate in the LPA if they don't want to."

"Fucking complicated," Naruto muttered, the boy wasn't exactly one to follow the norm or rules in general. "Hey, wait. Doesn't that mean Sasuke falls into this?"

"He's the last of his clan, so, yeah," the girl nodded. Though with how he acted, Ino had doubts it would be anytime soon. It was funny how she used to think of him in an infatuated manner like the other fan girls. Anko merely or less bludgeoned that side of her to death.

"Sasuke? As in Uchiha Sasuke?" Karin earned herself some looks, "What? I'm not a fighter, but I lived in ninja village nonetheless. The Uchiha Incident isn't exactly something new," and Sasuke isn't a very common name either. "Unless you live under a rock – or you're as dumb as one – pretty much everyone's heard of it… By the way, is he cute?"

" _What the hell! The Teme's got fangirls who barely know him in other villages!_ " Naruto didn't know whether to be jealous or feel sorry for the Uchiha. Ignoring the thought, Naruto glanced up and saw that they were officially out of combat. "Okay, let's get–" Naruto's sentence came to a halt as he noticed Hotto was standing still and his fur on edge. On his back, Naruto saw Karin shaking like a leaf. "Yo! You okay!"

"This chakra… it's so… dark…" the group heard her mutter fearfully. Beneath her, they saw Hottomaru baring his fangs, his form tense.

"…Uh-oh, that ain't good," whoever was causing this was either far enough for only Karin and Hotto to sense them, or their stealth was beyond Team 8's sensory abilities. Judging by Karin and Hotto's reactions, Naruto was inclined to believe this wasn't going to be an ordinary or easy encounter either.

 **Warning! Warning!**

 **A powerful presence has entered the area!**

For fuck sakes!

"Heads up! Someone or something is here!" Naruto barked out, the other Genin tensing up as they heard this. The boy cursed, he was going to be unable to use the **Fast Travel** option as a result.

"Well, well, well," a voice that resonated all around them echoed, "For someone your age to sense me, I'm impressed. Your teacher taught you well."

"Hinata, where are they?" Naruto asked, but the girl shook her head.

"I can't pinpoint their location! Somehow they're tricking my Byakugan! All I see are traces of … very large amounts of foul chakra," she shuddered.

Naruto didn't like their current situation. It was clear whoever they were was after Karin, and they were toying with Naruto and his team for fun. This was a situation Anko warned them about. This was a situation where the odds were stacked against you. A situation where your odds of winning were low and the best you could hope for was to hold off until reinforcements arrived, pray for a quick death, or go down swinging.

"But enough. As "entertaining" as this is, I've got other things to do. So, give me the girl, and I'll let you go. Try my patience, and you'll wish for death after I'm done with you," the moment he finished was the area flooded by a sudden burst of powerful killing intent. Thanks to his Gamer's Mind, Naruto remained unaffected. The same couldn't be said for the rest of his team.

"The hell I'm dying here god damn it!" Naruto declared before the he concentrated deeply, reaching into himself until he found what he was looking for: a pocket of chakra more potent than his own.

* * *

 **(Flashback; Primordial Dungeon)**

"Gahh!" Naruto shouted in pain – despite his crossed arms reducing the amount of damage – as he was launched into the air and made harsh contact with one of the mighty trees.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata shouted in worry but remained where she was. The girl couldn't allow Ino and Hotto to face the foe by themselves.

"Fucking bear!" Ino grunted, performing a backflip soon after when the **Bear King -** **Aoashira** crashed its massive paw down onto the earth.

At their current level, the group had made it a point not to face certain bosses in the dungeon, Aoashira being on of them. Unfortunately, the beast had been at the wrong place at the wrong time and was struck by a stray missile. The act angered the beast and when the use of meat didn't appease it did they know they were in trouble.

Ino and Hinata's fatigue levels were high and the two were nearing total exhaustion. Running away wasn't an option and they were forced to fight. But neither would be able to land any type of significant blow on the beast as a result. The two would provide cover fire while Hotto protected them, but Naruto was left to fight the beast himself.

For a while, the hit and run pattern seemed to wor. But the beast deserved the title of bear king when it began changing tactics and attacking more ferociously. The fight was incredibly one sided for the Konoha ninja. A few decent blows were landed, but the beast had plenty of health left and wouldn't go down anytime soon, unfortunately.

"Da…Damn it," Naruto coughed up, air coming back into his body and the **Dazed** status effect coming to an end. Naruto watched his teammates dodge, duck and leap away from the giant bear's massive wicked claws. A direct hit would seriously damage them if they weren't careful. Naruto and Hotto would be able to shrug off a couple of blows, but Ino and Hinata weren't as sturdy as the two.

Without full access to their chakra, and with his current levels too low for Naruto to use his **Spiralling Phoenix Flame Skill** , it didn't look good. Even though Naruto's strength was the greatest of the group, the bear's large girth and thick hide made him very resistant to physical blows, " _My hits aren't cutting it!_ " it was quite clear that Naruto wasn't performing the damage he should be, even with his makeshift club tools and iron forged kunai. Though, the latter was now fairly dull to repetitive use. For the first time in a long while, Naruto didn't know what to do.

" ** _Pathetic runt,"_** the boy heard an ancient and dark voice growl within him.

" _Wha–? Who's there!_ " Naruto shouted.

" ** _To think this is how it would end. Unacceptable!"_** it suddenly boomed; Naruto winced as a result, " ** _You represent me! You've survived because of me! What happens to them, I could care less. But I will not stand and watch this unfold any longer!_** "

Naruto didn't know what was happening but the following moment would forever be ingrained in his mind. A pulse was felt deep inside him. It began small, like water gently simmering in a pot before it quickly turned into full on boil. Then came the explosion.

Some feet away, Hinata successfully managed to strike the bear in the eye. The action made it miss a tripped up Ino, but the missed blow still sent the blonde flying through the air nonetheless. Ino, cursing like no tomorrow, attempted to right herself but her exhaustion made her landing less than graceful.

"Ow! Fuck! Son of cock!" she cursed, taken out a large shard of rock that impeded itself into her leg.

Appearing by her side, Hinata knew that the situation had taken a turn for the worst. Both were exhausted, their chakra practically gone, and they were running on fumes and sheer willpower. Ino's damaged leg would now prevent her from dodging the bear's strikes.

"Ino, we need to use–"

Hinata never finished as she felt the raising power that flooded the area. It was powerful, but also dar as if it was the very essence of hatred itself. And it came from the one she held affections for, "Naruto-kun?"

"Wha?–" was all Ino could say.

The two confused kunoichi watched as a reddish hue encompassed their teammates form just before a pillar of dark crimson shot up and darkened the area. His whisker marks became pronounced, his nails lengthened into claws, and his eyes became slitted as the chakra deep within him came out of his body. Followed by a roar that cracked the earth and made the wind push outwards.

* * *

 **(Flashback End)**

 **Initial Jinchūriki Form Activated!**

" **She's family! You're gonna have to go through me first, asswipe!"** the boy bellowed. The chakra flare dissipating the oppressive one and making the nearby trees sway as well as scatter dust and leaves, too. But all they got in return was the following reply.

"How interesting!" the voice rang, sounding almost gleeful, "I guess I can spare five minutes."

With that the origin of the voice made themselves known. Only, upon seeing the individual, did Team 8 realize just how deep in the shit they really were.

"Oh, no."

" **Ahh, shit!** " Naruto really hated his luck at times.

"Are you fucking kidding me!" Ino shouted, looking towards the heavens as she did, "Seriously! On our first mission back? Cut us a break god damn it!"

The individual merely chuckled, "I'm glad to see Anko's been influencing the next generation. The next generation of ninja isn't what it used to be. Show me. Show me if my student's students are a cut above the rest."

 **[Quest Alert!]**

 **Do or Die!**

 **Main Quest: Must last at least 5 minutes against Orochimaru!**

 **Secondary Quest: Last longer than 5 minutes against Orochimaru!**

 **Main Quest Completion: +5000 EXP, +500 Rep with Konoha, +500 with Karin**

 **Secondary Quest Completion: +500 EXP & +100 Rep to Konoha per additional minute**

 **Failure: 1100, Loss of Karin, -1000 Rep with Uzumaki Clan, -500 Rep with Konoha, Potential Death, Potential Death of Teammate**

 **Accept (YES/NO)**

 **(Warning, quest refusal will have consequences!)**

And with that, Orochimaru launched himself at Team 8.

* * *

 **As for why I'm writing the Uzumaki this way. I'm sick of Naruto finding clan members and them immediately accepting each other. Or some deus ex bond bullshit happening where they trust and feel connected to one another. It's not believable; it's lazy writing, pure and simple.**

 **Just because you're family and have the same blood doesn't mean you're gonna immediately trust them the first time you meet. That takes time and effort.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: Home, Sweet Home?**

* * *

 **(Countdown: 5:00)**

* * *

Team 8 and Karin scattered as Orochimaru appeared within their midst. The man's speed was something they hadn't quite seen before. One moment he was across from them, and then next he was within their midst. Lucky for them, the man did nothing but laugh as they scampered away from the S-Rank missing ninja.

" _Fast!_ " was the general thought of the group. Ino, Naruto, and Hinata had already experienced Anko's top speed – before and after she activated the seal – and it was nothing to be taken lightly. This, however, was on an entirely different level. This was the speed of an experienced Kage level individual. This was speed that could kill someone before they finished blinking.

" _Anko-sensei said he was fast. But this is nuts!_ " Ino recalled Anko telling the Yamanaka heiress that before the Yondaime came along Orochimaru was regarded as the quickest shinobi in the village, second to only the Sandaime at the time.

"You're boring me," Orochimaru taunted them.

Naruto scowled before he rushed the man with his Kanabo and Uchigatana. Orochimaru quirked an eyebrow at the odd combination of weapons; it was certainly unique, but that was about it.

" **Futon: Daitoppa** (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!" Orochimaru lazily bellowed out a harsh tunnel of wind – greater than Naruto's own **Daitoppa** – at the charging blond.

Naruto in turn retaliate with a wind technique of his own, " **Futon: Shishisenkou** (Wind Release: Lion's Battle Roar)!" the two techniques hit each other head on and caused an explosion of wind in the process that scattered dust and made the nearby trees groan in protest. While Naruto's technique was a B-Rank one, Orochimaru's mastery of the lower rank **Daitoppa** had enough power to match it.

However, if the rogue ninja and traitorous member of the Sannin was impressed by the act – especially due to the lack of hand seals – he didn't show it. Nor did he show concern or surprise when Naruto performed a swift **Shinigami Kagekoku** on the man's exposed back. The technique struck true, but the man's form turned brown before it fell apart into a pile of mud.

" **Sen'ei Jashu** (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)!" was heard before five snakes quickly wrapped themselves around the blond, followed up with precise bites that caused the boy to disappear.

* * *

 **(Countdown: 4:39)**

* * *

" **Nice try!** " the original Naruto appeared at a safe distance, **"Anko-sensei's used that so much it isn't funny,"** he smirked.

"Yes, well, Anko was a disappointment in that regard," Orochimaru pointed out with a shrug. Unlike him, Anko had a tendency to stick to certain techniques rather than broaden her repertoire. She knew more than most, but not by much. The man didn't know if it was no longer the case, however.

"Anko-sensei's a great teacher! Unlike you asshole!" Ino shouted before she unleashed a floor of impressive kicks and acrobatics at the man. If the man was ever encountered, Ino recalled Anko telling them that poison ninjutsu would be useless against him. Like the Snake Mistress, Orochimaru developed an immunity to a vast amount of them.

"Kicks… really?" the man was unimpressed. Though he had to admit she was quite limber and swift, and if the air current he felt was anything to go by they were quite strong, too.

"Well, there's no way I'm entering that fucked up mind of yours!" she shouted and continued her assault with a drop kick imbued with lightning.

" _Clever girl,_ " it was clear that she took after Orochimaru's student more so than the other two, both in mannerisms and wit. "Then let's see you dodge this. **Sangaja** (Scatter Fang Snake)!"

From both of his sleeves came a myriad of serpents. But unlike the **Sen'ei Jashu** that traveled in a linear manner, the serpents of this technique rushed at the Genin in an unpredictable zigzag-like pattern instead. The speed of the technique was also much quicker too.

"Shit! **Raiton: Fuicchimyaku no Justu** (Lightning Release: Dissonance Pulse Technique)!" Ino called out her technique, arms stretched out as the circular pulse stopped one waved of the snakes in their tracks. Leaving her wide open for the other before and too late to react. Ino felt the serpents coil and wrap themselves around her like a terrible vice, binding her arms and legs, cutting off the oxygen simple from her throat. The Yamanaka knew quite a bit of contortionism from her mentor, but not enough to escape her current predicament.

With a wave of his hand, Orochimaru slammed Ino onto the ground and with another, he sent Ino crashing into the trees with a harsh thud, "One down, two to go."

* * *

 **(Countdown 3:41)**

* * *

" **Katon: Hitama** (Fire Release: Fireball)!"

" **Futon: Shishisenkou** (Wind Release: Lion's Battle Roar)!"

" **Konbijutsu: Shikou Bakuenjin** (Combination Technique: Lion Roar Exploding Flame Formation)!"

Naruto watched as the techniques combined, forming an incredibly large head of a ferocious lion composed of red-hot melt the flesh off the bone flames. The technique was only rendered even more deadly when the original Naruto followed up with another technique.

" **Futon:** **Daitoppa** (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!"

From the simple act of adding an additional technique, the lion's head grew twice as large, the flames nearly becoming white in the process. The additional wind technique also give the lion's head the added benefit of speed. Quickly was it upon the man, like a ravenous predator, before it exploded with the force of a dozen high-grade exploding tags.

The explosion sent a wave of heat and dust across the field that momentarily robbed everyone of their vision. When the dust cleared, all that was left was a crater and no sign of Orochimaru.

"Remarkable technique for one so young. Not even the Uchiha have shown such skill at your age," his eyes wide, Naruto had no time to react as the ground beneath him burst open. The two clones' lives were brought to an end as serpents with swords jutting from their mouths pierced their throats.

" **Konoha-Ryu Iai: Tsuki no Mai** (Tree Leaf-Style Draw and Re-sheath: Dance of the Moon)!" quickly as he could, the original Naruto ended the serpents' lives with a quick draw of his Uchigatana, which spun like a deadly saw before it ended back into its sheath with an audible click.

"Iaijutsu, impressive," Orochimaru's interest in the boy was peaked. Few outside the samurai knew the deadly art of Iaijutsu. Few still could use it, or use it properly. Iaijutsu was the samurais' ace, a skill they held that made ninjutsu virtually obsolete due to a ninja's dependence on hand signs and Iaijutsu's speed. "But, it's clear you've yet mastered it, or know how to use it without difficulty," maybe it was the Kyubi's chakra influencing him but the man's smirk was really starting to get under Naruto's skin.

But the man was right. The technique was fairly new – having just unlocked it on the last week of the dungeon – and was currently a double-edged technique. It had great damage and reward if done properly, but there was a thirty-five percent risk of damage and impairment if he messed up. But the less of HP and increase in fatigue was worth it in Naruto's mind. For Orochimaru let his guard down and Naruto couldn't help himself as he smirked. The sudden act made the Sannin frown before he sensed it a second later.

" _Damn,_ " was the man's thought.

KA-BOOOOOM!

Due to the amount of chakra within it, the explosion from the **Bunshin Daibakuha** sent the man skidding several meters away before he managed to right him. By then, however, he began feeling the unpleasant sting normally associated with the Hyuga Clan's famous Juken.

" **Two Strikes!"**

" **Four Strikes!"**

" **Eight Strikes!"**

" **Sixteen Str–"**

" **Jagei Jubaku** (Binding Snake Glare Spell)!"

While the act of being struck by the Juken would cause great pain to others, and leave them unable to counter-attack, years of experimentation and an atypical body structure helped take care of such a problem. As such Hinata's strikes did nothing and came to an end when two very large snakes wrapped around the girl, followed soon after by a very focused and high burst of incredible killing intent.

All of which was being solely directed towards her. Hinata's mind saw several images that rattled her greatly, all of them ending with her death or unspeakable torture. Hinata thrashed and fought against the effects for a whole thirty seconds – a feat that actually impressed the White Snake – before she could take no more and fainted.

" _Na-Nar-Naruto-kun,_ " was her last conscious thought before the light faded from her vision and was replaced by darkness. Hinata was no stranger to the unpleasant feeling of killing intent thanks to Anko. She and Ino had developed a passive skill known as **Killing Intent Endurance** to reduce the skill's effectiveness as a result. But it was clear that the man's skill with the technique went greatly beyond that of their instructor's.

" _Grown men twice her age didn't even last that long,_ " Orochimaru remarked. Many often made the mistake that Killing Intent was an illusionary technique and therefore used the **Genjutsu: Kai** to rid themselves of its effects. But the technique was no illusion. It was the will and intent of a person who desired to harm, kill, or torture another mixed with an incredible burst of chakra. The technique sounded pure and simple, the practice was a whole other matter. But impressed or not, much like with Ino, Orochimaru manhandled the kunoichi before he discarded her like yesterday's trash.

* * *

 **(Countdown 2:58)**

* * *

" **Fucking bastard!"** Naruto shouted. The boy swung his weapons at the man with wild abandon, using the momentum to propel and continue his attempts even if they missed.

" _And there's the famous jinchuriki anger I've heard so much about,_ " Orochimaru thought, ducking underneath the kanabo that struck and destroyed the large boulder situated behind him in the process.

Jinchuriki were much stronger than regular shinobi but that increase in strength came at a price. The greater amount of Biju chakra used, the greater the chance their mind would become clouded by more primal instincts and emotions. To lesser ninja, this would be a very difficult fight, one that ended with a lot of pain. But to experienced ninja, it was a fight where they more or less controlled outcome of the battle.

" **Mandara no Jin** (Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes Silk)!" from his mouth came an enormous swarm of greater and larger serpents. The serpents were a veritable tsunami of slithering masses with seemingly no end to them.

 **|Defeat the snake swarm within 30 seconds.|**

 **|Failure to defeat swarm within allotted time will result in 25% health loss.|**

Naruto's enraged mind tempted him to rush and rip the serpents to shreds. But the boy managed to regain a decent semblance of rational thought before he proceeded through with the plan.

" ** _Regular techniques ain't gonna cut it here_** _,"_ he realized. Creating four clones, Naruto had two rushing towards the serpents while the other two prepared their technique. The cannon fodder clones hacked, slashed, and crushed dozens of serpents with each swing of their arms. But the large number made the clones' actions futile and they were soon overrun and 'killed' by the swarm, who continued making their way towards the original.

But even as they drew near, the clones' actions managed to stall and draw the serpents' attention long enough for Naruto and his clones to complete the technique. Even then it was damned close, too.

" **Katon: Sanju Rasen Hoen no Jutsu** (Fire Release: Triple Spiralling Phoenix Flame Technique)!" from the blonds, Orochimaru watched in fascination as three large birds of prey composed of deadly intense fire dive towards the sea of snakes. The entire area was set alight as the raptors made contact and flooded the ground in a sea of flames that licked, burned, and roasted the serpents alive. The intensity of the flames was so great that they set the nearby trees aflame as well.

 **|Swarm defeated within 30 seconds!|**

" **Ha…ha…** " Naruto ignored the message as he exhaled a breath, not used to using multiple high-powered techniques in quick succession. Nearly a third of his CP was gone, but thanks to the **Kyubi Chakra Cloak** it recovered quickly and reduced the rate of his fatigue levels.

"Naruto, watch out!" Karin shouted in warning.

" **Gogyō Fūin** (Five Elements Seal)!" Naruto was cut off guard as Orochimaru appeared before him; arm stretched out and fingertips glowing with purple flames. The boy thought himself safe through a last second use of the **Kawarimi** performed by his clone, but it was not the case. Naruto watched as the struck clone shouted in pain before it and its brother clone puffed out of existence.

" **Gah** hh!" Soon the pain bubbled within him, and Naruto felt himself drained and weakened. Whatever was done to the clone had somehow been transferred over to him.

* * *

 **Warning! Five Elements Seal in Effect! The following effects have occurred:**

 **\- Unable to access the Kyubi's Chakra!**

 **\- Chakra Control reduced by 50%**

 **\- All Skills Effectiveness, Power, EXP, and Speed are reduced by 30%**

 **\- CP cost of skills have been increased by 30%**

 **\- Fatigue levels have been increased to 60% (Initial Application)**

* * *

"Shit!" Naruto cursed as he balanced himself on one leg, the sudden drain of energy finally getting to him. The boy never thought he'd find a technique he'd hate more than the Bunshin no Jutsu.

"Odd. Normally that would render you unconscious," Orochimaru recalled. " _So applying the seal to clones merely drains them of their– "_

"BARRKK!" an angry Hottomaru howled, maw blazing with flames as he clamped down hard on the man's shoulder. Orochimaru grunted in discomfort as the large fangs sunk deep into his body. The dog certainly had a decent bite in him, he noted, and the flames only added to the discomfort her felt.

As he began lifting his arms, Orochimaru suddenly felt them forced back down as the enlarged canine wrapped its front legs dig into his sides. The claws blazed with incredible heat, the action cauterizing flesh and setting the man's clothing alight.

Orochimaru frowned even further when he began sensing something off, " _Well, well. A ninken that can drain chakra_ ," Orochimaru knew ninken could do many things, but in all his years the missing ninja never once heard of a ninja dog being capable of draining an opponent of their chakra.

But the fun time was over.

Though his arms were lowered by the beast impressive strength, Orochimaru was still capable of summoning serpents that slithered out of his sleeves and up the ninken's arms. The snakes arched their heads back before striking forward, biting the ninken in the shoulder. Other serpents had sword tips jutting from their mouths and speared the canine as the lunged instead.

Hotto all the while merely bore with the pain and merely bit down hard, shook his head, and began raking the man and the serpents coming from his robes as best he could. The ninken then switched tactics and began using his **Jao no Kuchi** (Maw of the Tyrant King) instead. His time in the primordial dungeon had greatly increased both biting skills and allowed him to drain larger amounts of HP and CP more quickly, too.

Orochimaru for his part frowned as he felt himself being drained, " _Now it's taking my blood?_ " the snake bites and the sword stab should have forced it to release him by now. " _What matter of beast is this_?" this was far from an ordinary ninken.

 **|Jao no Kuchi's [Copy Resistance Ability] is in Effect!|**

While Orochimaru contemplated why the ninken was still breathing, the man didn't into account of two things. One, Hottomaru was half Komainu, a breed of ninken with incredible fortitude and resilience.

The second was the Jao no Kuchi. Hotto's constant use and abuse of it increased the skill to the point that it allowed him to copy fifty percent of his opponent's highest resistance level. And with Orochimaru's poison resistance being insanely high, so long as the technique remained active, the effects of the snakes' poison were nowhere as potent as they normally would be.

Opening his mouth as wide as he could, Hottomaru and a severally weakened Naruto watched as another Orochimaru crawled out of… well, himself. The action reminded Naruto a serpent shedding its skin, only in a more grotesque manner.

"Peek-a-boo," the man chortled, unable to help himself.

"… _Okay, I've seen some crazy shit but that's just messed up_ ," Naruto thought.

As if reading his mind, Orochimaru released a dark unsettling laugh, "Oh, my dear Naruto-kun. You've seen nothing yet," judging by whom he was dealing with, Naruto was inclined to believe the twisted man.

Discarding the now empty shell, Hottomaru prepared to lunge towards the man, "BARRKKK!"

" **Daitoppa** (Great Breakthrough)!" a powerful gust of wind struck the ninken, halting his lunge mid-flight and sending him flying backwards. Orochimaru raised his arms to summon forth another wave of snakes but found himself grappling with Naruto instead. Naruto grunted in exertion as he used all his might – combined with the **Kongoriki** of course – to hold them man in place.

"Simply incredible," the man remarked. Even with the seal placed on him and the constant use of powerful techniques, the blond still had enough energy to go on fighting. But as remarkable as the feat was, Orochimaru was starting to become annoyed by the constant interference.

 **|Warning! Your chakra is being drained!|**

 **(Countdown: 1:02)**

" _Come on,_ " Naruto only needed to hold off until the time was up. But the boy cursed as he felt his chakra and energy leave him at a frightening rate. Orochimaru's mastery of whatever technique was doing this had to be incredibly high. If Naruto didn't let go, he'd be drained within minutes. But if he did let go, Karin would become a sitting duck.

"I must say it's been fun, Naruto-kun. But, unfortunately, I'm going to cut it short," and with that, Orochimaru brought the boy in and delivered a heavy knee rise to the boy's gut. The White Snake then followed up with a vicious punch to the face that sent Naruto flying before he crashed into a nearby boulder. The swift combination of blows took less than three seconds, and Naruto was left with a bad case of the **Daze Status Effect**.

Were he not in a hurry, Orochimaru would have fiddled with the idea of marking the boy with a **Cursed Seal**. But every second counted, and the sooner he grabbed the girl, the better.

" **Gekidoku** : **Akumu no Kyoki** (Deadly Poison: Nightmare from the Ancient World)!" a weakened Ino declared a glob of pink shooting from her mouth and striking a distracted Orochimaru in the back. Ino huffed loudly, as her all or nothing attack used up most of her chakra, before she fell unconscious to the ground.

Orochimaru ignored the slimy liquid that struck his exposed as he made his way towards Karin. The girl's poorly attempted effort was wasted in his mind. " _So far only the jinchuriki is showing promise,_ " the other two were impressive compared to other Genin nowadays, but it didn't go any further than that. Orochimaru saw the girl being protected by the injured ninken and decided to rid himself of the beast once and for all.

"Hiss!"

Orochimaru stopped in his tracks as he heard a sound behind him. Orochimaru knew it neither Anko nor Midori. " _No, those two would have attacked the moment they saw_ _me."_

"GGGRRRRAAAAAHGHHHHH!"

Orochimaru dodged just as the jaws of whatever dove at him clamped down with a resonating clap! The man had no time for respite as it whirled around and swung its tail at him with frightening speed. The man managed to avoid being hit in the torso but was nicked in the arm hard enough to send him spinning before he landed on the ground.

Whatever the creature was wouldn't let up though as Orochimaru heard it charging down towards him. The man managed to rise up quickly enough to come face to face with something he had never seen before. It was an incredibly large reptilian-like creature with only two long forelimbs and no hind limbs, along with a long, prehensile, serpentine tails. Its body was long and slender, yet muscular. But its appearance was noticeably skeletal, particularly the torso and head, the latter of which looked as though the skull was on the outside.

"GGGRAHGHHH!" it roared, momentarily stunning him somehow. The action allowed it enough time to smack the man around like a rag doll. The force behind it robbing him of his oxygen, a process it repeated more than once before his form was battered and weakened. Then it jutted out its tongue, which quickly and tightly began wrapping around him. The sticky appendage gave no quarter as it squeezed the man like a constrictor before it retracted back into the mouth of the unknown beast.

Orochimaru couldn't help but gasp and shout as he felt the large sword like teeth dig and rend into him, turning his body into pieces of ripped meat and destroyed clothing. Then, as his chewed up form made it way into his stomach, Orochimaru vacated his damaged self, only for his arm to come into contact with the deadly stomach acid. The man felt his arm burn, and melt as it ate away at his vulnerable flesh. Years of modifying his body to prevent such harm proved useless at the moment. All Orochimaru could do was scream and nothing more.

Then it all ended. And Orochimaru found himself no longer in the belly of the beast but in the real world.

" _What the hell was that!_ " the man would never admit it out loud, but what he saw, and what he felt, felt so intensely real. And, dare he say it, unnerving. " _It was like Itachi's genjutsu, maybe even worse_ ," the man gasped in pain and looked at his arm to see it was bloody. Chunks of flesh were missing and the man felt a burning sensation, " _As if it as being burnt off_."

" **Kyojin** **Saigasho** (Titan's Crushing Fang Impact!)" was all the warning Orochimaru received. His mind, which was still rattled by the effects of Ino's poison, registered the attack too late. The merciless kanabo struck him hard in the face, his skin rippling from one side to the next. His feet, now no longer touching the ground, told Orochimaru he was currently airborne. Were he a lesser man the blow would have killed him. But years of experimenting on his body would allow him to shake off such blows with ease.

Even blows that were powered by his teammate's legendary super strength would be shaken off, though the latter would hurt a hell of a lot more. But it didn't mean the boy's current blow didn't sting like hell. The man could only imagine what it would feel like had the chakra cloak still been active.

Before he could right himself, Orochimaru felt himself make contact with something that was highly unpleasant, " **Hakke: Kikosho** (Eight Trigrams: Qigong Palm)!"

Between the weakened Hyuga's palms was a large ball of chakra that rippled and pulse with concussive power. The energy surged outwards and made contact with Orochimaru's back, once, twice, four times, the effects increasing every time before it finally ended at twenty and subsequently exploded.

Orochimaru flew high into the air, unable to right himself for whatever reason, while the explosion sent Hinata crashing into a tree. Then gravity took hold and Orochimaru plummeted to the unforgiving ground and crashed with a loud thud. Off to the side, the injured Hottomaru looked ready to charge in and clamp down on the man's throat. Payback for the burning stab wound in his shoulders.

"Hotto, stay right there!" Naruto ordered, knowing what his ninken was thinking. "He's not done."

And his words rang true as Orochimaru's form rose from the ground. Naruto tensed and created **Shadow Clones** to watch over his teammates. The boy expected the man to be angry, and why wouldn't he be. Naruto himself would be the same after what just happened.

"Kukuku."

"Huh?" of all the reactions Naruto thought was coming, laughter was the furthest from his mind.

"Kukukuhahaha HAHAHAHAHA!" if it was not for his **Gamer's Mind** , Naruto knew without a doubt that he'd be shitting himself right now. "Remarkable! Simply remarkable! You three proved me wrong. Oh, so very wrong indeed," the man's smile was both highly unpleasant and highly unnerving.

Orochimaru suspected these three were above average Genin, but it wasn't the first time he encountered such Genin. Now he realized he was wrong. Somehow, despite their age, these three were a superior cut above. These three were special, very special in the man's mind. These three had the man's curiosity, but now they had his attention. Something no one wanted to have.

"Yes. Allow me to leave you with a parting gift."

" _Oh, fuck I don't like the sound of that,_ " Naruto tensed and prepared himself for what was about to happen next. What transpired was a snake coming out of Orochimaru's mouth, and from the serpent's mouth came a sword.

* * *

 **Kusanagi no Tsurugi (Grass-Mowing Sword) Epic Quality**

 **Weapon Type: Range, Slashing, Piercing**

 **Attack Power: 719-959**

 **Durability: 550/550**

 **Description:** **The Kusanagi no Tsurugi is a legendary blade that many master swordsmen would die to acquire. Though its appearance is that of an ordinary katana, looks can be deceiving. At first glance many mistake the Kusanagi as a single edge blade, while it is, in fact, a double-edged sword with the keenness of edges. This is especially so when channeled with elemental and non-elemental chakra. Due to its ability to replicate and enhance the effects of any poison, it has come into contact existence, the weapon is highly sought after by poison users as well. In addition, the sword possesses the ability to swiftly extend its blade over long distances with incredible accuracy. How these two processes were made possible remains a mystery.**

 **Where and who made this weapon has remained a mystery, too. However, it is considered incomplete if rumours are to go by. Legends claim the sword was once part of a single sword before it was split in two: the Kusanagi and the Murakumo. Swordsmen claim that if the two weapons were to be reunited and become whole again, it would be reborn as one of the deadliest of swords.**

 **Requirements:** **Expert Bladed Skill Mastery (Weapon Penalty if Used Otherwise)**

 **Bonus Stats: +95% Chance to cause Severe Bleeding Status Effect, Random Poison Status Effect, and Sever Status Effect, +125% increase towards Effectiveness and Power towards Chakra Flow Skill Effectiveness, +100% increased towards Effectiveness, Speed, EXP and Power towards Sword Based Skills and Fighting Styles, +75% Chance of Ignoring Defense**

 **Special Trait: Incomplete Sword, Telekinesis, Extending Blade, and Vast Poison Production, Keenness Edge**

* * *

" _Fuuuuccccckkkk,_ " was all Naruto could say. The weapon was awesome as hell, and that was only the base stat. The boy could only imagine how much better it would be if it were equipped by someone with sword boosting traits or equipment.

" _But it just had to be in the hands of homicidal nuke-nin,_ "forget the fact he was a nuke-nin, Orochimaru was once one of Konoha's best, a top tier shinobi that appeared only once in blue moon. And the man had an epic if not borderline legendary sword as his disposal.

This was gonna hurt.

 **(Countdown: - 0:59!)**

 **Would you like to end the mission now?**

 **(Y/N)**

Or not.

"Yes! End the fucking mission!" Naruto shouted uncaring who heard or the fact he'd end up with extra rewards. The old Naruto would have continued fighting despite the odds out of sheer stubbornness and stupidity. But this Naruto knew he was extremely lucky to have lasted even this long. Access to the Kyubi's chakra was cut off, he was running on fumes, and his teammates were out for the count. Had he noticed it sooner, Naruto would have ended the mission the moment the countdown reached zero.

The boy wasn't ashamed to throw in the towel now that their objective was done. He'd live to fight the man another day. Of that Orochimaru could count on.

* * *

 **[QUEST COMPLETED!]**

 **Do or Die!**

 **Main Quest: Must last at least 5 minutes against Orochimaru! (Accomplished)**

 **Secondary Quest: Last longer than 5 minutes against Orochimaru! (+1:02, Accomplished)**

 **Total Rewards Earned:**

 **5500 EXP, +600 REP with Konoha, +500 REP with Karin**

* * *

" **Kuchiyose: Yatai Kuzushi no Jutsu** (Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Technique)!" a voice was heard from above. Followed soon after by the sound of a thunderous crash, courtesy of an extremely large orange and red toad. The enormous toad acted as a barrier between Karin, Team Eight and Orochimaru.

"Jiraiya," Orochimaru greeted his former teammate, a scowl on his face for the man's untimely appearance.

"Orochimaru," the man returned his former friend's scowl with one of his own. But first thing was first, "Gamaryu. The kids."

"Got it," faster than he could anticipate, Naruto watched in fascination and horror as the toad's tongue darted out, latched onto Hottomaru and Karin, and then proceeded to dart back into its mouth.

" _Oh, god damn it. Not again!_ " Naruto cursed as the toad eyed him before its tongue darted towards him. "Fuck!"

" _Oh, yeah. Definitely Kushina's kid,_ " Jiraiya commented, just as the last of the Genin were swallowed up by the amphibian. "So, you ready to do this?"

Orochimaru scowled, upset that his target was now out of reach, but smirked all the same, "Perhaps another time, Jiraiya. Give my regards to–"

" **Die mother fucker!"** was the man's only warning, a deadly whip of sickly yellow energy slicing through his midsection like a red hot knife through warm butter. Orochimaru's lower body fell backwards while his torso fell forward. But it wasn't the end. The severed torso quickly sprouted a swarm of snakes that wreathed together before forming a humanoid like tail.

" _Okay, that's messed up,_ " Jiraiya couldn't help but wonder how far his former teammate and best friend had gone.

The sudden skill Orochimaru used enabled him to put some distance between himself, Jiraiya and his summon, and his attacker. It didn't surprise the man that it ended up being his former student. What did surprise him were her appearance and the feeling of her chakra.

"Anko-chan. So nice to see you again," the man dodged under the yellow whip as she lashed out at him with wild abandon. "Anko-chan, I'm hurt. We haven't seen each other for so long and already you're trying to kill me. And with the present I left you no less."

" **Shut up, shut up, shut up!"** Anko shouted, her anger fueling the curse seal and impairing her judgment. This man had not only ruined her life and the lives of others, but he also attacked her Genin. Anko was adamant on making him suffer.

In an act that confused both men, Anko stabbed her claw-like nails into her arms and drew forth blood. Luckily, the power of her **Cursed Seal** **Level One** allowed her to heal rather quickly as she set unleashed her technique. A gut feeling told Orochimaru the technique would be far from pleasant. Before Anko unleashed it, Orochimaru held his hand up in a sign to immobilize his student with the seal.

Yet nothing happened, and Anko's technique remained unopposed.

" **Eat this! Dokka** : **Hijin Kessō** (Toxic Luster: Flying Blade Blood Claws)!" Anko drew back both of her arms before she flung them forward, one arm crossing over the other as she unleashed a barrage of red crescent shaped blades. Seeing his initial plan end – something he'd look into – Orochimaru was forced to go another route.

" **Kuchiyose: Rashomon** (Summoning: Rashomon)!" from the ground came a large demonic like gate that blocked off the barrage of blades. His face, however, contorted into one of intrigue as he saw the corrosive effects that played out before him. The singular Rashomon was nowhere as the large compared to its stronger variants – it was the weakest of the techniques – but the defensive properties was still nothing to be taken lightly. Yet the technique ate through the gate at a rapid pace.

" _That's new_ ," his student's technique intriguing the man.

" **Ranjishigami no Jutsu** (Wild Lion's Mane Technique)!"

From the corroded gate burst through a white lion's head, its maw wide open with the intent to swallow him whole. As it clamped down on the man's body, Orochimaru's form shuddered before it fell apart into multiple serpents.

" **Retsujin** (Tearing Blade)!" quickly the snakes circled the lion's head, the act shredding them to pieces due to the form being harder than steel, but slowing its retreat as Orochimaru stabbed down with the Kusanagi. The sword pierced the lion's head and with a sudden jerk the man decapitated the beast; the act ending the technique, forcing Jiraiya's hair to shrink back down to its original size.

Orochimaru merely laughed as he began sinking into the earth. "It's been fun catching up, Jiraiya, Anko-chan. But, unfortunately, my time is up. I'll be seeing you soon though. Kukuku, very soon."

And just as Anko was about to pierce the smug bastard's skull with her corrosive claws did the man vanish. Any sign of his chakra signature was gone.

* * *

 **(Elsewhere)**

" _That could have gone better,_ " Asagao frowned. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but it was evidently clear that Konoha had some quality ninja despite their years of peace. Granted, Anbu were considered the best of the bests, and Jiraiya of the Legendary Three Ninja was an unexpected turn of events. Strong and experienced as the three women were, they were nowhere the man's level.

Asagao's skill in fuinjutsu was greatly superior to the man's own and more than enough to subdue him if she caught Jiraiya off guard. However, his knowledge would require her to use secret clan techniques if she wanted a chance to deal some actual damage. The woman wasn't prepared to reveal them just yet, however. Feeling her side warm up, Asagao pulled out a scroll, unfurled it and watched as a hologram of a woman began appearing before her, "Status report!"

"The mission was a failure, Honoka-sama," Asagao stated.

"What happened? Where are the two Uzumaki!?" the woman demanded.

"Gone. I ordered Meiko and Jinouga after them as you ordered, but I haven't heard from them. They may be heading back to the rendezvous as we speak," Asagao knew that Shaku could handle herself; Meiko was another story. She wasn't as experienced as the two older Uzumaki.

"You still haven't told me what happened. How did the plan not work? Those beasts weren't easy to make but shouldn't have gone down so easily, either," being directly linked to her creations; Honoka knew that Jinouga was either dead or her link to him was severed. " _Possibly a contract seal!_ "

"Jiraiya of the Sannin appeared, milady. We had the Anbu outclassed and outnumbered, and with the beasts, they stood no chance. Victory was assured before he showed up," Asagao told her clan head. "We were forced to retreat."

Rather than respond, Honoka remained silent as she contemplated this series of events. More than once did the man interfere with their plans and it was apparent that he was starting to become a nuisance. The man had to be dealt with, "Set up a meeting Harukichi. I want to meet with him, personally."

"At once, Honoka-sama," Asagao bowed. "In the meantime, what shall we–"

"Tell the others to remain low and continue their duties," Honoka interrupted, "I want the corpses of the beasts retrieved, or as much samples of them as you can't," she could technically summon them but she already spent an enormous deal of chakra to reverse summon them to their location. At the moment she had yet to recover at a respectable level, and at the current distance was too great even with the amount of chakra she possessed. "Keep tabs on those two Uzumaki. The moment either one of them leaves Konoha, you will inform me."

"Hai, Honoka-sama," the woman said, the woman's hologram flickering out of existence.

Though their mission ended in failure, Asagao made a vow she wouldn't fail again. Sannin or not, Jiraiya wasn't going to interfere in their plans anymore. The next time they met, she'd be prepared for him.

* * *

 **XxX**

"Ow! Damn!" Naruto grunted as his shoulder was popped back into place, no longer being affected by the **Physical** **Impairment: Arm** as a result. His chakra was slowly coming around, too, thanks to Jiraiya.

"You're fine," Neko told him before moving on to the other Genin.

" _Didn't even know that happened,_ " then again, he was under the effects of the Kyubi's chakra. But even with the trade-off for increased physical power and chakra – while also reducing his sound judgment and common sense – it barely allowed him to keep up with the toying man. Sure, he landed some decent hits but the man could have ended him in a flash if he was serious from the get go, " _Especially with that sword, damn._ "

Naruto knew of the Kusanagi, having acquired it the odd times on his video games. It was easily one of the best swords ever and offered some kickass abilities and stats, something the real thing possessed, too. " _And it's incomplete to boot,_ " the boy could only wonder how awesome it would be whole. But he pushed that matter aside for now. It was a no-brainer that the Kusanagi wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **Two Heavens as One**

 **Main Quest: Find and reunite the Murakumo no Tsurugi and Kusanagi no Tsurugi**

 **Main Quest Completion Rewards: +50 Attribute Points, "?", +1,300,000 EXP, "?", "?"**

 **Quest is optional.**

 **Accept Quest?**

 **(Yes/No)**

* * *

"Naruto-kun? Are you alright?" Hinata asked him.

"I'm fine. Thanks, Hinata," he told her with a smile before he accepted the quest.

The girl flushed a bit before she noticed a few cuts on his head, "Here, let me."

Taking some ointment, Hinata rubbed it on his hand and Naruto watched as he gained the **Regen** Status Effect. The girl followed up with by setting her hands aglow with green chakra and placed them on top of his head.

"I'll take some of that when you're done with him, Hinata," Ino called out, her voice sounding a bit hoarse and rough. Apparently, her last technique had some side effects.

Speaking of which, "What was that stuff you hit him with?" Naruto asked while Hinata healed his head.

"Remember when I was fiddling with the plants I found on our training session," Naruto nodded, "Well, I may or may not have hit him with some of the nastier batches."

All four members of Team 8 shuddered at the memory. The poison was discovered purely by accident and Ino was still trying to perfect it. Said poison wasn't deadly in the sense that it would shut down motor function – though with a bit a luck it would down the line – or cause the air paths to seize up, it did cause intensely horrific visions. The effects didn't last long, something about the composition breaking down too quickly, but damn if it didn't leave an impression on the victim's mind.

The poison was like a genjutsu, a very powerful one and made them see things that felt real. The effects create a psychoactive event in the mind so intense that the body soon began reflecting some of these wounds. Ino rarely used it since the ingredients were not only extremely rare but because she had yet to formulate an antidote or master it. There were also the moral ramifications to consider as well. The Yamanaka heiress had labeled it as a forbidden technique and it was currently her most powerful and most dangerous poison technique.

"Still, for a poison to have affected Orochimaru of all people is impressive," they heard Neko praise.

"You don't know the half of it," Ino grinned but said no more. If the woman was impressed now the girl could only wonder how much more she'd been with the mastered version. That would truly be the stuff of nightmares.

"Hinata, you okay?" Naruto asked, seeing his teammate sweat.

"I'm fine, Naruto-kun. Just a bit tired," was all she said.

"You used the **Shimyaku Enbu** (Dead Pulse Performance) didn't you?" Ino commented, recognizing the technique's side effects.

"Hai," she nodded, and continued healing her teammate, "I didn't have a choice. To be honest, I still can't believe it fooled him," she admitted but gave a light frown. Even though it was her own technique, Hinata, in all honesty, currently didn't care for it at the moment.

When forced to give her **Rosary of the Wandering Miko** to Anko, the Hyuga came up with a technique that combined the principles of deception and medical ninjutsu. The **Dead Pulse Performance** was a technique that simulated death by slowing down one's heartbeat to the lowest possible level. The technique worked, and when used the dungeon enemies ignored her fallen form. The only downside was that at its current level it took her some time to get back up and running and greatly increased her fatigue levels, too.

It was a risky technique as well, and one that Hinata decided to use only as a last resort. The girl theorized that if she performed it incorrectly it could potentially leave her in a very compromising situation. Hinata was surprised that she managed to pull it off with killing intent washing over her. A quick but thorough medical scan put her mind at ease when nothing was out of the ordinary.

"You three are something else, you know," Jiraiya laughed.

"Yeah, we fought a Sannin and lived," Naruto still couldn't believe it.

"Don't get cocky, gaki! If my sick bastard of a teacher was serious from the get-go you'd all be dead or worse," Anko butt in. Others would assume her attitude were the lingering effects of the seal, Naruto knew otherwise.

"Have to agree with Anko there. You guys stalled him for six minutes – which, mind you, is no small feat – but it took all you got just to pull that off. Trust me when I say this: Orochimaru is like a predator toying with its prey. He'll let it drag on until he gets bored, and won't take a fight seriously until something significant happens. Now that he knows what you're capable of he won't go easy the next time you meet," he'd probably test them but that was it.

Naruto frowned as Jiraiya said that, "If that's true then why did he sound pleased?"

"…What?"

"Yeah. After we smacked him around a few times, he just started laughing. Went on calling us remarkable," Naruto recalled.

The news didn't bode well for the group of ninja who heard this and feeling dread and worry started to bubble, "Anything else? Anything at all!"

The concern in their voice was so clear it went beyond crystal. Concentrating, Naruto remembered the last thing Orochimaru told them, "Yeah. Before you crashed the party – cool technique by the way – he said something about leaving us with a gift."

"THAT FUCK **ER'S** **DEAD!** " Anko roared, the chakra and cursed seal flaring up, and her personality taking a one-eighty-degree turn.

" _This chakra… it's similar to his!_ " Karin shuddered. The feeling wasn't as oppressive but malevolence was there still. It frightened her if she was being honest.

Turning around, Anko found her path blocked by the remaining Anbu. Their level of stupidity was high in her opinion. Nothing would stand in her way of making Orochimaru pay. Attacking students was one thing – which shouldn't have happened in the first place – but the man's suggesting of branding them with the curse seal was another altogether. It didn't take a genius for Anko to make that deduction.

A quick use of the **Shunshin** created some distance between her and the Anbu grunts that were too slow to react. But the woman didn't get far as Jiraiya suddenly appeared before her, grabbed the enraged woman and slapped her neck with a piece of paper that subdued the cursed seal. The anger didn't, however.

"LET ME GO, PERV! HE HAS TO DIE!" Anko struggled against the man's hold. Despite the dark power receding, the woman's rage still fuelled her desire to torture and end the man.

"I get it, but you have no idea where he is and you'll barely last five minutes with how angry you are," even if she was calm, Jiraiya knew Anko wouldn't have the strength to bring the man down. Even with her noticeable boost in power. She'd land a few good blows, probably, but that was about it. The man's reasoning fell on deaf ears so Yugao opted to change tactics in his stead.

SMACK!

The slap, however, was a twist he didn't expect.

"Anko! Your students need you! Woman up, bitch!"

The Anbu grunts showed no outward expressions at the action – though their masks covering their faces probably played a role in it, too – having been used to the relationship their captain had with the eccentric I&T specialist.

"… Sorry," was all Anko said, not trusting herself. Or, more specifically, her darker self influencing by the seal.

SMACK!

"But friend or not, don't you ever bitch slap me again!" Anko said, getting into Yugao's face.

" _Like we haven't heard that one before,_ " the Anbu sweat dropped. Well, better their captain than them.

Were the situation not so serious, Jiraiya would have considered using the scene in one of his future books, " _Then again, stuff like this only comes up once in a blue moon."_

"Okay, so with that all done, what now?" Naruto asked, his gaze landing on a bound and tied up Meiko a second later, contemplating her fate, "What's gonna happen to her?"

Apparently, the girl and the blue beast were ordered to track and stop them from escaping. That plan didn't exactly branch out the moment Jiraiya crashed the party. From what Naruto knew of the man from Anko, the only way she'd have stood a change was if she took off her top off.

" _Wouldn't be the worst way to lose a fight,_ " was the teenager's perverted thought. Hell! The loss would be damn worth it. But the boy soon turned green when the rational part of him made him remember she was family.

"Her name is Meiko," Neko announced. "According to the Bingo Books she's a B-Rank bounty hunter with a decent reputation. Last I heard she got into some trouble and made more than a few enemies with the underground and a few bounty hunters. Rumors say she went off the grid as a result."

"Shows how much you know," Meiko muttered lowly, but was heard nonetheless by the Anbu squad leader. Yugao made a mental note to get that clarified later once they reached Konoha.

Yugao, however, continued, "Epithets: **Komajo no** **Tekken** (The Scarlet Witch with the Iron Fists) or **Majo** (Witch) for short. Apparently she's a skilled scientist but has noticeable skills in taijutsu and is said to have a wicked punch."

" _Ain't that the truth,_ " Jiraiya was still wincing from a lucky blow she landed. The girl was no Tsunade but the blow would definitely leave a mark. He idly wondered if it was a trait all females with Uzumaki blood possessed.

"Scarlet Witch?" Naruto give the girl a glance and except for a bit of blood here and there he didn't see a lick of red on her, "Where'd she get that from?"

"Her hair," Karin got their attention. "We Uzumaki are known for our red hair."

"Hair dye, clever," Ino commented. It was a simple but effective strategy really.

Karin nodded, "Mom and dad dyed their hair colour before Kusa discovered who they were. Seemed pointless to do so afterward when you couldn't really go anywhere. Not all of them do it either out of pride or because they're half bloods with different hair colour. But it's not uncommon."

"Yeah, well, as enlightening as it is, what's gonna happen to her?" his earlier question not answered.

Family or no, Meiko did attack his team, but the boy was torn. The girl was an Uzumaki, one of the few remaining, but she and the rest of the Uzumaki also attacked them, maybe even had the intent to kill.

"Team 8 and Anko will continue making their way back to Konoha. Our job is to deal with the Kusa team and any remaining Uzumaki stragglers. This one is gonna have to go back with you. Think you can manage?"

" **I can swallow you and make my way back to Konoha if you'd like?"** Gamaryu offered.

"NO!" was the reply from Karin and Team 8's Genin. Once was more than enough, twice was too much. If they went through it a third time someone was gonna end up with broken kneecaps, and so much more.

Anko laughed even as the rescued Uzumaki and her team sent her death glares and dirty looks, "Tempting as the offer sounds, I think we'll manage. Wouldn't mind a lift on his back until we're further into Hi no Kuni's territory."

Jiraiya merely nodded, "It's your call, Anko. Just watch yourself. These Uzumaki women they're highly skilled and just as dangerous. Don't take em lightly," they were also hot as well in his opinion, the tall one especially.

Anko frowned. Perverted as he was, Jiraiya was easily the second most powerful ninja Konoha had; few ninja could get him to say such a thing. The woman merely nodded before she looked to her team.

"Hey! I'm an Uzumaki. What about me?" Naruto felt insulted.

"You're not a woman, brat," Jiraiya retorted with a smirk.

" **Oiroke no Jutsu** (Sexy Technique)!" Only to lose that smirk seconds later as the boy's form was replaced with a naked adult female version. The girl had it all: hourglass figure, flowing blond pigtails, legs that wouldn't stop, and a perfect set of breasts covered by strategically placed wisps of smoke.

"I'm. I. Now. Ji-rai-ya-sa-ma?" she finished with a seductive wink.

"TENNNN!" the super perverted couldn't help himself as he was launched into the air, blood gushing from his nostril like high-pressured water streams.

 **Your reputation with Uzuki Yugao has decreased by 100**

 **Your reputation with Konoha's Anbu has increased by 100**

 **Your reputation with Mitarashi Anko has increased by 100**

 **Your reputation with Yamanaka Ino has increased by 100**

 **Your reputation with Jiraiya has increased by 300!**

" _Okay, I wasn't expecting that_ ," the increased reputation with the Anbu, Jiraiya and Anko were a given. Jiraiya and men in general were perverts, something he learned early on. Anko's rep was increased because it was a prank and possibly because she was bi-sexual. Yugao, despite being in the Anbu, was a bit classy so he could understand the decrease. Ino's increase, however, came as shock. A quickly glance allowed him to see her trying to hide her blush.

" _Ino's a lesbian?_ " that or bisexual, which was cool – kidda hot as well – and all in Naruto's opinion, whatever floats one's boat. The boy was just surprised given the amount of time she crushed after Sasuke. Then again, the same could be said about him with Sakura. The boy had lingering thoughts, true, but time away from her and time spent with Team Eight slowly but surely changed those feelings.

"Alright, enough fun, kiddies. Everyone up on the toad," she ordered, her gaze falling on Gamaryu, "Swallow the red head."

"Come again?" Meiko thought she heard wrong, only to feel a sticky appendage latch onto her form before it swiftly retracted, "SSSSSHHHHHHIIIITTTTTT!"

"That was cruel," Naruto muttered. Fitting, but cruel. At least it wasn't him again; the blond Uzumaki shuddered.

* * *

 **(Sometime Later)**

"Ah, home sweet home," a content Anko breathed in the fresh scent of trees. Meiko and Karin remained dumbfounded by the act of instant travelling.

The instructor of Team Eight would openly admit that Naruto's **Fast Travel** was a damn useful technique to have on their side. What would take them days or weeks now took them seconds. The only downside – other than the specifics – was making certain others didn't catch on. People feared the Yondaime not only due to his prodigious prowess but also for his skill with Senju Tobirama's Flying Thunder God. After all, it did help them win the last war.

But while her student's technique wasn't on the same level, rumours were powerful and dangerous. All it took was one person to start believing and soon others would follow. Add that Naruto was coming into his rather quickly compared to the old him would cause others to ask questions. Naruto – all three of her students, really – was very strong for his age but he lacked experience. His **Gamer** ability gave him a huge advantage, but it didn't make him invincible. Team Eight's bout with Orochimaru proved that.

" _Kid's a Jonin on some levels but he's still rough around the edges like other Genin,_ " and not just him but Ino and Hinata also. And with the Chunin Exams being less than three weeks away she'd have to push them as hard as she could, after a couple of days off, of course.

"Okay, what the hell happened!" Karin couldn't help herself from asking.

"Let's just say I have a unique technique that let's me travel from one place to another in an instant," Naruto told her.

"You know the Flying Thunder God, don't you," Meiko felt all eyes on her. "Oh, come on. Everyone's heard of it. Why do think we were attacked?"

"I was told it was because–"

"That it was because we were masters at seals," she interrupted, "Yeah, like I haven't heard that bullshit before. That's like saying the Nara were masters of strategy or the Uchiha were masters of fire related techniques and genjutsu."

Despite the revelation, Anko quickly put two and two together "… Shit," but didn't voice her thoughts.

Meiko smirked, "Give the woman a prize. The Uzumaki helped the Nidaime make the damn thing. True, we never quite managed to use it on the same level as him but damn if wasn't it useful for sneak attacks and quick geta–" before she could go any further, Meiko found herself gagged by a scowling Anko.

"Hey!?" Naruto was both confused by the action and the fact he couldn't find out more about his clan.

Anko, however, ignored his outburst, "Until we speak with Hokage-sama, you four will keep your mouths shut about this. You will tell no one and no one is to find out. Understand!"

"But why–"

"I said do you understand!" Anko barked out. However, seeing the betrayed-like look on their faces, Anko knew she went a bit too far, "Look. Knowledge of this kind is something others won't hesitate to kill if it means getting it. You guys are strong, especially when you're together, but others are much stronger. And they won't hesitate to torture you for this kind of intel. Trust me when I say that the less you know about it, the safer you'll be."

Naruto frowned, but nodded nonetheless. He didn't like it, but he understood where she was coming from, "Got it," he said, Ino, Hinata, Karin, and Hotto agreed as well before they made their way to the Hokage Tower.

* * *

( **XxX** )

Naruto kicked a rock as he and his ninken continued their trek down the village. Apparently they just missed Jiji when the man entered a last minute council meeting. So now Team Eight was forced to wait until they received word he was ready for their report.

" _And if past experience hasn't taught me anything about council meetings then this may take a while,_ " the blond shinobi sighed. The boy was bored and not overly interested in going into a dungeon at the moment.

Ino and Hinata went to their respective clan compounds while Anko took care of Karin and Meiko. Meiko would be held in the cells while Karin he had no idea what would happen; Naruto was also unsure where Karin was gonna bunk now that she was here. While he was tempted to offer her a place to stay with him – it would give them the chance to get to know one another as a result – his home was currently a one man abode until it was fixed up.

" _Guess I can work on that till they come get … Oh, for the love of…_ " Naruto sighed; only this time it was one of exasperation. Rather than say anything, Naruto merely threw a pair of shuriken that struck a square rock – with eyeholes no less – the action earning him a series of yelps and childish screams.

"Seriously, Kono, if you're gonna call yourself my underling at least do a better job. I mean, a square rock? Do we look like we're in a quarry? If I were Iruka-sensei I'd give ya a big fat F… You know what, screw it, I am gonna do that. You guys get an F!" the blond having sensed more than just the Hokage's grandson.

"NO!" a voice that wasn't his underling yelled in anguish; the box lifting to reveal an actual snot nosed kid with glasses. "Don't fail me! It'll ruin my grade record!"

"Udon, you idiot!" another unfamiliar voice called all. This one was female.

"Ah, come on, guys! I had this planned all week," and there was the Hokage's grandson and Naruto's self-proclaimed underling.

"Okay, first off, if you're going for stealth don't scream and reveal yourself! It kinda defeats the whole purpose," Naruto quoted Anko and had to stop himself from face planting as they began to take notes. "Secondly, who are these two?"

"Guys, the move," was all Konohamaru said before the three children got into position.

"I'm Moegi, the sassiest kunoichi in school!"

"I enjoy doing Algebra! My name is Udon!"

"And I'm the toughest shinobi in the village! My name is Konohamaru!"

"And we're…The Konohamaru Ninja Corps!" the three eight-year-olds chorused.

"… Needs work," was all he said, rendering them dejected in the process.

"Ah, man. I thought it was awesome," Konohamaru whined. "How can I match up to my rival if I can't even do that right."

"I thought I was your boss?"

"Boss, rival, it's all the same," the scarf-wearing boy waved it off.

" _It's really not,_ " Naruto thought with a sweat drop, " _This kid's got a long way to go."_

"Anyway, where have you been, boss? You promised me you'd play ninja with us when you had the opportunity, remember?" Konohamaru declared, pointing his finger at the older ninja. "Uh, by the way. Did you get taller?"

Naruto had to result the urge to face plant once more, "Seriously?" it took him that long to notice. Oh, boy. The Uzumaki knew he had his work cut out for him.

"What kind of ninja 'plays' ninja?" an unimpressed and ragged looking Sakura asked as she entered the scene.

"Whoa, Sakura, what happened to you?" the boy couldn't help ask.

"I don't wanna talk about it," was all she said, Naruto's question going unanswered. The girl looked spent and just about ready to drop, too. From the looks of it, it appeared that Kakashi was taking his duties more seriously.

Glancing back and forth between the two older ninja Konohamaru looked at the pinked haired kunoichi, and with grin and small blushed asked, "Hey, boss. Is she your," he finished with a gesture.

"Uh…no," was his reply. Sure, at one point in time he'd have considered it, but not now.

Konohamaru was confused before he gave Sakura a look over, "It's the forehead and flat chest, isn't it?" Konohamaru asked.

WHAM!

" _Oh, I really have my work cut out for me,_ " but try as he might, Naruto failed to hold in his laughter as he gazed upon the prone form of his underling.

"Itai," Konohamaru moaned painfully, a large welt forming on the top of his head as an angry Sakura stomped away in a huff of indignation. "Boss, is that even a girl?"

" _This kid's either missing a few brain cells or he's got a serious death wish,_ " Naruto thought as he saw Sakura stop mid stride. This wasn't going to be pretty.

And low and behold. "WHAT!" Unfortunately for the boy, Sakura heard him and began cracking her knuckles for round two.

"…Uh-oh," Konohamaru didn't need to be a genius to know he messed up big time.

"COME HERE!" and with that she charged.

"CRAPPP! Boss, help me!" Konoha shouted as he ran for his life.

"Sorry, kid, no can do!" the blond laughed.

"You suck! What kinda boss doesn't help his underling!" Konohamaru shouted as he ran around a corner, the mad kunoichi hot on his trail. Udon and Moegi trailing soon after the two.

" _One that knows that this will serve as a valuable life lesson,_ " was his mental reply. But despite it all, the boy had a chivalrous side to him, "Come on, Hotto. Better make sure Sakura doesn't do too much damage."

"Arf!"

True enough, the scene he came upon was on of Konohamaru deep in the shit. Only it wasn't Sakura who was the reason for it.

"You little brat," an older boy wearing a black cat-like suit of all things shouted, lifting Konohamaru off the ground by the collar of his shirt.

"Hey! Put me down! Let me go!" Konohamaru ordered and struggled to get loose.

"Damn brat! You're the one who bumped into me! I outta make you pay for that!" the boy said, his fist cocked back to go through with the threat.

"Arf! Arf! Grr!"

"Hmm?" looking down, the one holding Konohamaru saw a young dog barking and growling at him. "What the? Scram, ya mutt!"

"Grr… rarf!"

CHOMP!

"YEOW!"

"Yo! What the hell's with all the–"

"For the love of all that is kami and right in the world! Get him off!" the cat suit teenager shouted.

"I would if you'd stop moving you idiot!" his sandy haired companion shouted.

"Grrr!" Hottomaru continued to growl and chomp on the boy's backside.

"Hotto! Bad dog! Let go! You have no idea where that's been," Naruto ordered his ninken, grabbing a hold of the stripped puppy and pulling as hard as he could. The girl grabbed the boy's shoulders and began tugging in the opposite direction.

"AHH!"

RIP!

"Oof!" was the sound he made as he and Hottomaru fell to the ground, a piece of black cloth clinging to his ninken's mouth. "Dumb dog," Naruto chastised before he settled his gaze on the two teens across from him. "Sorry about that. Don't know–"

"You little shits! You're both fucking dead!" the angry boy shouted.

"Huh? What did we do? He's the idiot that bumped into you."

"Hey!" a pissed Konohamaru shouted. "It's not my fault I bumped into the cross dresser!"

"Cross dresser!" the sandy haired teen and the cat suit teenager shouted, one out of horror and anger, the other out of pure amusement.

"Where the hell did that come from?"

"…Well, you're wearing makeup for one, and also a kitty pyjama suit," was the young academy student's response.

Naruto blinked as he processed his underling's words, "He's got a point, dude."

Sakura, who so far stood on the sidelines with Moegi and Udon as the scene unfolded, decided to add her two cents, "I'm sorry for what's happened. But who are you and what are two Sunagakure Genin doing here?"

The girl merely gave Sakura, whom she was believed to be too ignorant to be a kunoichi, a haughty smiled, "Name's Temari. The idiot punk slash cross dresser with the extra hole in his ass is my brother, Kankuro."

"It's war paint!" Kankuro retorted but was promptly ignored.

"Let me guess, Chunin Exams?" Naruto asked.

Temari gave the boy a look over as he stood up, " _He's kinda handsome,"_ she thought, "Well, at least one of you is competent to know why we're here."

" ** _Bitch! I dare you to say that again!_** **"** Sakura's inner self shouted, fiddling with the notion of ripping her four ponytails from her scalp.

"Chunin Exams are not, I'm kicking your ass, now!" Kankuro declared his arm moving back to grab his wrapped tool. Only for a rock to make contact with it stopping the appendage in its tracks.

"No sudden moves," Sasuke said, making himself known to the group.

" _Bout time the teme revealed himself,_ " part of Naruto wondered why Sasuke was in the tree in the first place but decided it wasn't his business. The bloodlust he was sensing on the other hand.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gushed at the boy's arrival.

" _Another looker,_ " Temari commented. Though the new arrival wasn't as good looking as the older blond, he was good looking still.

"Another bratty show-off. Whatever. Two, three, it doesn't matter, I'll still–"

"Pathetic," a cold voice unexpectedly cut in.

The suddenness of the voice had everyone except Naruto and Hottomaru stunned as they looked up to see a red headed figure with a large gourd standing under the branch of Sasuke's opposing tree, " _That kind of stealth, it's the same level as Kakashi's,_ " the Uchiha noted, a bit unnerved by the fact.

"G-Gaara," Kankuro said a bit fearfully.

"Kankuro, Temari. You're disgraces to our village."

Kankuro replied, "What? B-But they started it and–"

"Shut up, or I'll kill you," was the boy's cold reply, making Kankuro cringe and become more frightened before he began to apologize profusely. Temari was just as fearful as her brother.

" _Damn, this guy's bad news if his teammates are scared of him,_ " Naruto noted, unaffected by what was surely subtle killing intent thanks to his **Gamer's Mind.** However, Konohamaru and his friends weren't. "Yo! You mind toning down the KI a bit? Pretty sure it'll attract the Anbu or something."

The boy's simple words served to stun not only Temari and Kankuro, but also surprise the upside down redhead, too. For as long as they could remember, few, much less Genin of all people, were unaffected by their brother's bloodlust."

Gaara's surprise, however, soon turned into intrigue, " _He's not scared and the other managed to hit Kankuro with a rock. Mother will be please._ "Seconds later did Gaara perform a **Suna Shunshin** and reappear in between Temari and Kankuro.

"We didn't come here to play. Let's go," Gaara ordered the two Suna Genin and all three began leaving the area without so much as another word. Only to find their path blocked.

"Arf!"

"…?"

" _That mutt's dead meat,_ " though in Kankuro's opinion is better the dog than him.

"Arf! Arf! Sniff. Sniff," was all Hottomaru said as he began circling the red head, sniffing all the while in a curious manner. The boy's scent was familiar in his opinion. "Arf!" Gaara, however, didn't even blink at the strange action but found the dog's actions both annoying and confusing.

"Hotto! Get your mangy ass over here!" Naruto ordered the young pup. The ninken complied and Kankuro couldn't help but think how very lucky that dog was.

As Suna made to continue, Gaara asked, "What are your names?" he motioned to Sasuke and Naruto.

"Uzumaki Naruto. This is Hottomaru," the blond introduced.

"Arf!" the pup wagged his tail.

"Uchiha Sasuke. And yours?" the Rookie of the Year asked.

The red haired boy remained silent for a second before answering, "Sabaku no Gaara."

Quick use of his **Observe** showed that all three had above levels for Genin. Kankuro was at level 27, Temari was at level 33, and Gaara was at level 45. The pop up that followed soon after worried the boy.

 **Challenge "Meet The Ichibi Jinchuriki!" has been completed!**

 **Reward: 1000**

" _Oh, fuck,_ " the exams just got a little more complicated it seamed.

* * *

 **Omake: My Two Mothers**

" **Oiroke no Jutsu** (Sexy Technique)!" Only to lose that smirk seconds later as the boy's form was replaced with a naked adult female version. The girl had it all: hourglass figure, flowing blond pigtails, legs that wouldn't stop, and a perfect set of breasts covered by strategically placed wisps of smoke.

"I'm. I. Now. Ji-rai-ya-sa-ma?" she finished with a seductive wink.

"TENNNN!" the super perverted couldn't help himself as he was launched into the air, blood gushing from his nostril like high-pressured water streams.

 **Your reputation with Uzuki Yugao has decreased by 100**

 **Your reputation with Konoha's Anbu has increased by 100**

 **Your reputation with Mitarashi Anko has increased by 100**

 **Your reputation with Yamanaka Ino has increased by 100**

 **Your reputation with Jiraiya has increased by 300!**

" _Okay, I wasn't expecting that_ ," the increased reputation with the Anbu, Jiraiya and Anko were a given. Jiraiya and men in general were perverts, something he learned early on. Anko's rep was increased because it was a prank and possibly because she was bi-sexual. Yugao, despite being in the Anbu, was a bit classy so he could understand the decrease. Ino's increase, however, came as shock. A quickly glance allowed him to see her trying to hide her blush.

" _Ino's a lesbian?_ " that or bisexual, which was cool – kidda hot as well – and all in Naruto's opinion, whatever floats one's boat. The boy was just surprised given the amount of time she crushed after Sasuke. Then again, the same could be said about him with Sakura. The boy had lingering thoughts, true, but time away from her and time spent with Team Eight slowly but surely changed those feelings.

 **(Years Later)**

"Come on, Naruto, it'll be fun," a lingerie wearing Ino, which left nothing to the imagination, purred at her lover/husband.

"Ah, man. Do I have to?" Naruto asked. "Doing it for kicks and pranks was one thing, doing it for sex is just… weird."

"You didn't complain last time," the woman smirked, pressing her ample bosom against his arm, moving up and down ever so discreetly.

"I was drunk!" which was thanks to Kurama, the lazy bastard. "And you took advantage of me!" the man still couldn't figure out the logistics of it. If a man did that it was called rape, but if a woman did it then it wasn't? Fucking double standards.

"Oh, boohoo. We had a blast that lasted five hours and you know it," Ino told the blushing and proud man. Five hours wasn't even his best time, either. "Besides, it gave us Raika didn't? "

"Oh, don't remind me," Naruto loved his son with all his being but the boy's conception left him conflicted and wanted to down an entire bottle of pure moonshine.

"You know where gonna have to lie to him if he ask, right? Can't exactly say, "Hey, kiddo, guess what! You were conceived when I was drunk off my ass and I was technically a futa because your mother wanted to spice things up. Oh, and your mother was eating the hell out of your aunt while she was pregnant with Himari!"

Thud!

Naruto rushed from the master bedroom to find two unconscious boys, Boruto and Raika. "… Oh, fuck."

"Oh, calm down. I got this. It's not the first time I wiped their memories," Ino commented and quickly went to work.

"What! How do I not know this?"

"Cuz I wipe away yours, too," she nonchalantly told him. "You're overreacting was starting to kill the mood and toys weren't gonna cut it for me."

"Are you kidding me!" Naruto couldn't believe … no wait, scratch that, he could believe it. "How many times have you–"

 **(Six Hours and Twelve Minutes Later)**

Naruto blinked as his satisfied partner cuddled next to him. A job well done as always in his opinion, Ino's content smile and sleeping form reinforced the claim. And yet, "Why do I feel like I'm missing something?"

Ino's response was merely to cuddle closer to him for warmth, her naked and glistening with sweat form intermingling with his own. Her mischievous smile hidden from Naruto's view.

In the end, Naruto chalked it up as unimportant and went to sleep.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Level: 37 Next Level: 51,178/62,400**

 **HP: 7600**

 **CP: 11825**

 **STR: 131**

 **VIT: 245**

 **DEX: 237**

 **INT: 371**

 **WIS: 120**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 115**

 **Attribute Points: 62**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Level: 30 Next Level: 12043/38,800**

 **HP: (2725/2725)**

 **CP: (1075/1075)**

 **STR: 67**

 **VIT: 102 (7) = 109**

 **DEX: 105**

 **INT: 43**

 **WIS: 35**

 **LUK: 34**

 **DEF: 70**

 **Attribute Points: 44**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Yamanaka Ino**

 **Level: 31 Next Level: 37,969/41,600**

 **HP: 1900**

 **CP: 1025**

 **STR: 58**

 **VIT: 76**

 **DEX: 131**

 **INT: 41**

 **WIS: 188**

 **LUK: 25**

 **DEF: 65**

 **Stats: 58**

 **Money:** 295,460 Ryo (29,546$)

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hyuga Hinata**

 **Level: 32 Next Level: 9427/44,600**

 **HP: 2200**

 **CP: 1550**

 **STR: 49**

 **VIT: 88**

 **DEX: 153**

 **INT: 55**

 **WIS: 221**

 **LUK: 31**

 **DEF: 70**

 **Money:** 678,456 Ryo (67,845.60$)

 **Stats: 57**

* * *

 **Just to let you know, this isn't me bashing Sakura. If you all recall, Temari wasn't all that impressed with Sakura when they first met because the latter didn't know about the Chunin Exams. Speaking of which, next chapter is the Chunin Exams and I will be skipping some things to get it rolling because, let's face it, we all know what happens during the first portion and I don't plan to bore you with the written part of it.**

 **Now, as to why the Suna Siblings levels are so high… well, that goes without saying. In Part One it's evident that Temari is much more skilled, experienced, and physically fit that Shikamaru. The problem is that Shikamaru is an opponent that can think many moves ahead and Temari has most likely never faced an opponent like him before. When that happens we tend to get frustrated, which leads to mistakes, which can be taken advantage of by those who know what to do in those situations. Shikamaru is that type of fighter.**

 **The problem with Shikamaru is that he is unmotivated and when he meets an opponent that can actually match or overpower his moves, he's screwed because he lacks the physical fitness and chakra to do anything about it.**

 **The phrase, "It's not always the most powerful fighter that wins, but the smartest," comes into play here. Just because you're powerful doesn't mean you're guaranteed to win, and vice versa with intellect.**

 **Anyway, enough ranting, canon commences next chapter. Give me tons of reviews, please. I'd love to reach the 4100 mark by the end of this chapter. Thanks!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: The Chunin Exams!**

"Well, what do you think so far, Mister Uzumaki?" the Abyss Manager asked the blond haired ninja.

"Other than you guys working fast?" was the rhetorical answer, "Looks good. Would have been better if it didn't cost me an arm and a leg," some of the workers here Naruto recognized from Wave, Tazuna not being one of them as he learned the old drunk had taken over as its temporary leader.

"True," the manager acknowledged. The boy had spent a little over a million ryo for the renovations and the additions he wanted. Quality was one of the reasons why the Abyss got where it was today. However, the manager knew that the ores and other materials he had on the auction would more than cover the expenses.

"I'm curious, why are you wanting a workshop? You don't strike me as the … workshop type."

Naruto had to begrudgingly admit that the man had a point; he wasn't the workshop type. However, thanks to his **Gamer** ability, the boy learned that the addition of a workshop would boost the effectiveness and success of certain skills such as **Crafting, Blacksmithing, Fuinjutsu, Gear Maintenance** – to name a few – by a great amount. Effectiveness was increased by 50% and Success was increased by 25%. This meant a success rating of 50% would increase to 62.5% while an effectiveness of 50% would increase to 75%.

The main reason why was because Naruto wanted to increase these useful skills as quickly and efficiently as possible. Higher levels of Fuinjutsu would do things the more conventional skills could not; well-maintained weapons and gear would increase his martial techniques and decrease the damage he took; and better **Crafting** would allow him to better create makeshift gear and other supplementary items more quickly and effectively. Blacksmith was something he considered doing for quite some time now. Gotta love Shadow Clones.

"Speaking of which," here the mysterious dealer reached into his coat and handed the boy a book on **Basic Blacksmithing** and a card, "The book you ordered and the card is a **Bronze Membership Card**. Normally it would take years to acquire one but the amount of items you sold and bought from us hastened then earn. It's one of the four card types we give out to our more loyal clients."

* * *

 **Abyss Membership Card (Bronze) - Rare**

 **Description:** The lowest rank membership card of the Abyss. Allows the cardholder special deals and perks that only a select few can ever get.

 **Special Traits:** +15% Discount when buying from Abyss, +1.5% Increase in profit from sold items from Abyss, Abyss Profit Cut reduced to 12.5%, Abyss Bounty Cut reduced to 17.5%

* * *

"I'm guessing the others are Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum?"

"Close. The last one is Scarlet," he stated and elaborated when he saw Naruto's look, "It's named after the rarest, most valuable and sought after of the chakra metals: **Hihi'irokane** (Brilliant Scarlet Metal). But many call it the Scarlet Metal for short."

"Scarlet Metal?" Naruto had never heard of it, "What makes it more valuable than the others?"

"To answer your question, I have to tell you a–"

"Can it be brief?" as much as he liked a good story, Naruto had other things he needed to do today.

If the man was affronted by Naruto's bluntness he masked it very well, "Alright. In this world there are three highly sought after chakra metals: Elementium, Adamantine, and Scarlet. When properly tempered they can become indestructible to all but themselves. Now, Elementium is highly valuable as it can channel elemental chakra like no other and create a powerful and wickedly edged weapon as well. Adamantine can make a powerful piece of armor or bludgeon weapon that can absorb kinetic energy on a molecular level and even redirect that energy if properly made, making it virtually indestructible compared to the others," Naruto could tell that would be quite useful against taijutsu and weapon users.

"Elementium you can say is the spear while Adamantine is the shield. However, you should not assume that Elementium lacks durability or that Adamantine lacks offensive power. As I said, both can only be potentially harmed by one of the three chakra metals," he added.

"And Scarlet Metal has both qualities, right?" Naruto haphazardly asked.

"One would think so but no," the manager stated, "Scarlet Metal can be formed into a very sharp and durable weapon, true, but that's not where its qualities lie. No, what makes Scarlet Metal so special is its ability to devour, manipulate and even negate chakra.

"That's it?" sure it was a useful ability but that couldn't be it in Naruto's opinion.

"You misunderstand. An object, if properly forged, made from this metal makes ones immune to even the most powerful of Genjutsu as it will disrupt the opposing chakra and great it's wielder unfathomable degrees of control over their chakra that not even the best of the best can hope to accomplish. A person, if strong enough, can even use this to block and absorb the strongest Raton ninjutsu and from that they can conjure a storm of scarlet flames. If the legend behind it is true," and here the man leaned in and whispered, "The last time such a weapon was made, its first battle trial ended with the death of a Biju."

Eyes wide open; Naruto now began to see the value. It made sense. Biju were beings of pure chakra. A metal with these properties and capabilities, and in the right hands, was a deadly weapon.

"Then again, it's only a legend. Findings on the metal were immensely rare and never in the same location. While very small deposits of the other metals have popped up every couple hundred years, the last sighting of the Scarlet Metal was near the dawn of the age known as the Era of Warring States," its rarity was on an entirely different level compared to the other two.

Tempted as he was, Naruto knew he was lucky to have found what he did with Elementium. Asking where it could be was now irrelevant with the Manager's last comment. If he came across some that would be damn awesome, but for now he asked another question, "Why's it called that?"

"Because of the color and because it creates a brilliant and otherworldly flame that negates and devours anything chakra related its user commands," was the man's simple answer as he scribbled something down and handed it to the boy.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Its value by kilogram should you come across some," the Manager responded.

"…Oh," Naruto nodded and almost proceeded to pull a Hinata. Suffice to to say, its worth was much greater than Elementium. But the boy had no time for fainting. Calling up his time, Naruto called Hotto and then excused himself, as he knew his future home was in good care.

" _That boy really is interesting,_ " the Manager mentally commented. A bit unrefined, true. But interesting nonetheless, " _Then again, so were his parents._ "

The Abyss Manager idly wondered just how interesting the boy was going to make things in the near future. He looked forward to see how the Chunin Exams would go, too.

* * *

 **XxX**

"Well, this is it," was all Naruto could say. What else was there to say, really? The last few weeks – more like months or so thanks to his ability – had been pretty intense. The training involved burning the midnight oil long hours, refining their techniques and pushing their physical capabilities as much as possible in the dungeons. Not all days were like that, but most.

"Yeah," Ino nodded, before she gave her team a smirk, "Ready to kick ass?"

"Arf!" Hotto barked.

"Hmm," Hinata nodded.

"Just keep an eye out, Ino. Remember what I told you about the Suna team," Naruto stated.

"I get it, they're tough," Ino knew she was sugar-coating it and knew that Naruto didn't bullshit whenever levels came up. All three Suna Genin were above average like them, especially the redheaded one, Gaara. When asked why, Naruto claimed Gaara had a question mark on him. It didn't answer the question, but experience told Ino that wasn't good news. "So, any clues on what we're up against?" Ino asked.

Naruto shrugged, "Beats me. Your guess is a good as mine. But if video games are anything to go by then maybe a tourney or battle royale of some kind," it was a common theme to occur before one went up in ranks or levelled up their class.

"Do you think anyone we know will be there?" Hinata asked. "I overheard a few of my clan members saying that Genin who enter the exams generally have a year's worth of experience," which – thanks to Naruto's ability – they more or less did, technically.

"So, chances of the Teme and Shika's teams being in this are low, huh," Naruto asked but received no answer. The jinchuriki thought that sucked but it was what it was. Calling up the time with his ability, Naruto saw they had less than twenty minutes to spare and began marching into the building that held the exams. However, it wasn't even ten or so minutes later did the drama begin to unfold.

… And the exams had yet to officially begin.

"Seriously, how the hell did you graduate as top of the class?" Sasuke scowled at Naruto's question, despite the blond speaking the truth. Naruto was pretty surprised to see Team Seven in the first place; they were fresh Genin after all. So was Team Eight but they were different.

"Hey, don't look at me. He's the one that fucked up," Kiba wasn't the sharpest kunai in the pouch but even he knew how to count fucking floors. However, by the time the Inuzuka figured out what was happening, Sasuke had to open his big mouth. "Well, at least you got your ass handed to ya," Kiba snarked, ignoring the frown directed at him from his two teammates.

"Could have gone without the image of whatever the hell that sunset thing was," the ninja and their team's ninken shuddered at the memory. Naruto understand bromance but that sunset thing frightened the shit outta him. But what worried him was that Lee character's status window.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Rock Lee**

 **Level: 35**

 **HP: 5000**

 **CP: 1000?**

 **STR: 150?**

 **VIT: 200**

 **DEX: 215?**

 **INT: 40**

 **WIS: 45**

 **LUK: 77**

 **DEF: 45**

 **Perks:**

 **Iron Body:** +20 DEF, +3 STR, DEX, VIT per Lvl, Physical Resistance increased by 30%, +30% EXP, Power & Effectiveness towards Taijustu, +30% EXP, Power & Effectiveness towards Bukijutsu,

 **Titles:**

 **Expert Martial Artist:** +30% EXP, Power & Effectiveness towards Taijustu, +30% EXP, Power & Effectiveness towards Bukijutsu, Fatigue levels reduced 30% slower when using Taijustu Skills

 **Genius of Hard Work:** +20% EXP gained from completing Daily Quests, +30% EXP gained from completing Missions

 **Flaws:**

 **Irregular Pathways:** Incapable of using chakra externally (can be overridden in extreme circumstances)

 **Description:** Graduating as the Dead Last of his year, Rock Lee slowly but assuredly improved and began to prove his worth as a ninja through rigorous training and sheer dedication. What he lacks in genjutsu and ninjutsu skill – which is non-existent – he more than makes up for with his above average skill in taijutsu.

* * *

It was crystal clear to Naruto that the boy's skills were abnormally high like his own. However, Naruto's skill was in Ninjutsu compared to Lee's Taijutsu. The swift ass kicking Sasuke received from the boy showed the Gamer just how skilled the oddly dressed Genin was and that he was not to be taken lightly, a fact he shared with his teammates. Naruto had no doubt that he'd have to go all out from the get go if they fought.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, noticing his look, "What is it?"

"Lee," was all he said, "How strong he is. Makes me wonder who else will be that strong?"

Hinata, Ino, and Sakura couldn't help but wonder that too now that the thought was put out there. Naruto, Sasuke, and Kiba on the other hand were excited at the prospect of finding someone that would give them a challenge. Kiba had been pissed by Sasuke's dumb move but that was more so because the Uchiha spilling the beans allowed the weaker and unworthy contestants to be added.

Deciding to forget the occurrence for now, the groups continued making their way towards the exam room. As their approached their destination, both teams heard the voice of their mentors… and a very odd and awkward conversation.

"Ok, I'll admit, Saiko and Kageru have a history. But in today's standards, history means crap all. I mean, you read that tongue action Saiko and Naori had! Scene was intense and I'm pretty sure you don't go all out to please someone like that if you're not interested in something more," she, of course, was referring to Saiko giving the tongue action.

"I disagree, the fact that Saiko and Kageru know one another for so long is a define factor that they will end up with one another. It's been done so many times before," Kakashi argued. "Plus, I don't think Saiko would have exhausted herself like that if she didn't feel anything for him."

"Please. Just because the main male and female protagonist have a history and have the odd emotional moment don't mean squat! I will admit that cliff-hanger on the three-way sucked," Anko groused. The scene had gotta good until it ran out of pages.

"True," Kakashi had to agree.

"Why the hell are you discussing porn!" a red-faced Sakura yelled, not believing she was actually hearing this.

Both Kakashi and Anko looked at one another before they looked back at their teams with an answer, "We were bored and you took your sweet ass time/Nothing better to do really."

Sakura's eye merely twitched at the answers. Rather than say anything, the girl grabbed Sasuke and Kiba and dragged her two teammates into the room, not bothering to say anything to their Jonin sensei, "Well, that was cold," Kakashi muttered before he bid Team Eight farewell. "Ja!"

"Well, you four know what to do," Anko said.

"Kick ass."

"Take names."

"Look out for one another."

"Hell no! Make me look good… or else," Anko finished with a frightening grin. "Later."

"Great," Naruto muttered but spotted a posted letter on the door to the exam room.

 **Ps. I believe in you guys.**

 **Anko.**

 **P.P.S. Burn this letter.**

"Of course," Naruto wasn't surprised. Leave it to Anko to pull something like that in the end. Wordlessly, Team Eight marched into the room and saw a ton of Genin from various villages. The air was tense, so much that it could be cut with a butter knife.

"So this is a Chunin Exam, huh?" were he a greenhorn Naruto would be nervous, but this was nothing. Ignoring them for now, Naruto spotted a few familiar faces and made his way towards them as a conversation began.

"Name's Kabuto…Oh, Hinata-kun, I didn't know you were taking the exams," Kabuto said, appearing mildly surprised. "You've grown since I last saw you," he commented.

" _You're telling me,_ " Kiba thought. Sasuke said nothing but even he couldn't deny the truth in the older Genin's words. It was apparent to the males of Team Seven that Ino and Hinata had started to develop womanly curves.

Meeting the members of Team Eight once more after the Wave Incident had been quite the surprise, especially since each member underwent a sudden growth spurt. True, a ninja's body was different compared to ordinary civilians – genetics and the chakra they possessed had a role – so it wasn't out of the ordinary to see one growing more quickly.

"Kabuto-san, you're partaking in the exams, too?" Hinata asked.

"You know each other?" Naruto asked his teammate.

"Hai. Kabuto-san helped me learned a bit more about medical ninjutsu when books weren't enough. He's a good instructor, and better than me at healing," the Hyuga praised.

"You're too kind, Hinata-kun. But you were a quick study and you're Byakugan gives you an edge I don't possess. Unfortunately, as talented as I am at medical ninjutsu, I'm afraid I'm not very good at much else. This is a my seventh try at the exams, my fourth year."

"Wow, you gotta suck then," Kiba snickered, only to be elbowed in the rib by Sakura and receive a scolding looking from Hinata, the latter one throwing him off, unexpected as it was.

"I wouldn't go that far. The Chunin Exams aren't exactly a walk in the park and each one is different from the last so it's not like you can stop yourself from repeating past mistakes. Even having it held in your home village won't matter," Kabuto explained. Past attempts at doing so did more harm than good for a village when their ninja weren't qualified to accomplish the influx the missions sent their way.

"My first two attempts, I never made it past the first round. The following four resulted in myself or my teammates being unable to continue, and the last one resulted in one of my teammates being killed and me barely making it out alive," Kabuto continued.

"Wait! People are killed in this thing!" Chouji asked suddenly, the boy not so hungry anymore. But then the moment passed.

Kabuto nodded, "It can happen. Why do you think Jonin generally wait a year before they nominate their teams for these things? I'm surprised that all nine of you are here actually. You're the first rookie teams in Konoha to be nominated in five years."

Shino, however, gave a slight frown, "How is it that you know so much of this, Kabuto-san."

A few others couldn't help but agree with the Aburame. If Kabuto was as bad as he sounded, how did he know all this information in the first place?

"Aside from medical ninjutsu, I have a … talent, if you will, when it comes to information gathering. Let's just say Konoha was a different place during the last war. I along with many others were forced into a life that was do or die without any opinion on the matter, lets leave it at that," was the boy's reply.

" _That would explain his level, but his stats are a bit off for a supposed failure,_ " Naruto's expression remained impassive. Looking around, Naruto's noticed a few other Genin whose levels and stats were way too high for Genin, too.

However, Naruto noticed a pattern among those ninja, " _They're all from Konoha,_ " he noted. Wasthe village trying to up their chances? Anko had been a bit tight lipped on the info so Naruto was unsure of how this was supposed to go down. He'd keep his eye out though.

"Unfortunately, my talent for combat is pretty bad so I haven't had much luck in these things. However, my skills as a medic and information gathering have allowed me to develop and procure these," here the older teenager presented the group with a series of blank cards that Hinata instantly recognized, "Those are nin-info cards," the girl recognized them from her time at the hospital.

"Correct. These are based off what we have registered and what I managed to find during my spare time. They're blank now, but once I channel a bit of chakra and voila!" the once blank card soon turned into a detailed piece of paper.

"Whoa, neat," Naruto commented, the skill reminded Naruto of his ability to call up recorded information.

"Indeed… granted the information I have isn't perfect but at least I'll know what I'm up against," Kabuto told them.

"Those ninja-cards," Sasuke began, "Do you have any information on participants."

"Some, but not all, yes," Kabuto nodded, "Who did you have in mind?"

"Rock Lee, Sabaku no Gaara, and Uzumaki Naruto,"

"Me! What the hell for?" Naruto asked, confused by the Uchiha's actions.

"I have my reasons," was all Sasuke said.

"Oh, so that's how we're gonna play it, huh. Gimme what you got on the teme here," Naruto told Kabuto. If Sasuke was annoyed he didn't show it; all he did was grunt.

"Rock Lee, lets see…. Ah! Here we go. Background is pretty unknown except that he's a year older than the rest of you and his teammates are Hyuga Neji and Higurashi Tenten. Currently, he is under the tutelage of Konoha's premier taijutsu master, Maito Gai, which explains the next bit. Graduated as the Dead Last in his year due to his abysmal skill in everything but taijutsu, which has greatly improved since then apparently. Mission history: 20 D-Ranks, 12 C-Ranks, and 2 B-Ranks."

"He has abysmal skill in everything but taijutsu? How's that even possible?" Sakura asked. Granted she knew from experience that Naruto himself used to be bad at everything.

"Well, it wasn't for a lack of trying," Kabuto replied. "Many assumed he just had no talent as a ninja whatsoever. But I can't say anymore without breaking doctor-patient confidentiality. Sorry," he apologized before moving on to the next card, not knowing that Naruto already knew why due to **Observe**.

"Sabaku no Gaara… not much information about him other than he's the Kazekage's youngest son, his teammates consist of his older brother and sister, and that … oh, wow."

"Oh, wow? Oh, wow what?" Kiba asked, not liking the suspense.

"Apparently, he's come back from every mission without a single scratch on him. Here's the odd part though; his mission history is 14 C-Ranks, 5 B-Ranks, and 1 A-Rank. Not a single D-Rank," that tidbit of information served to unsettle a few of the Konoha Genin and those nearby who were listening in on the conversation.

"Like I said, this information isn't completely accurate. I'm not the first to do this so some of it may be fabricated to unsettle the competition," he tried reassuring, calming others while Team Eight knew it was most likely to be true.

"Now then. Uzumaki Naruto… Getting information on you was quite easy giving your frequent trips to the hospital over the years, especially after a prank or stunt gone wrong," Naruto couldn't help but groan as the rest of the group chuckled at the recollection. Naruto couldn't fault them either; he had pulled some pretty bad ones that backfired on him.

"Background is unknown other than him being an orphan and born on the night of the fabled Kyubi Incident. Was considered a shoo-in for the title of Dead Last but made a remarkable turn around part way through his final year that put him the middle ranking. Skills are in Ninjutsu and Bukijutsu, though they tend to be on the heavy hitter side. You have some skill in Taijutsu but there's nothing here about Genjutsu. Your stamina is, and I quote the words of your teacher, "Gonna make a woman very damn happy one day."

From the room where the Jonin were looking and listening in on them, Anko cackled at her colleague's expressions. Kurenai sighed in exasperation but there was a hint of red on her cheeks. Asuma inhaled too much and choked on his smoke. Kakashi continued reading his book but gave off a small laugh at the comment for reasons unknown. Gai went on about youth.

"Oh, come on!" an embarrassed Naruto snatched the card, ignoring the stunned looks of those around him. Some of the kunoichi, however, were blushing mad, "It can't possibly say that. Oh, my god, it does! Seriously, Anko-sensei!" he shouted; Kabuto merely took back his card and continued despite the scene.

"Moving on. Jonin instructor is Mitarashi Anko, teammates are Yamanaka Ino and Hyuga Hinata, and he has a ninken partner called, Hottomaru."

"Arf!" the ninja dog in question barked.

"Mission history is 45 D-Ranks, partially due to his abuse of the Shadow Clone Technique – wish I thought of that – 8 C-Ranks, and 4 B-Ranks of which two later turned into … Oh, this can't be right."

"What?" Chouji asked.

"Well, it says here that two of them were later reclassified as S-Rank missions," the announcement created a silence in the room so great that a pin cushion could be heard dropping one block away. Then, seconds later, it broke.

"Troublesome," the Nara sighed, with all this heat Shikamaru was starting to regret doing this.

"Bullshit!" Kiba declared, "Okay, the one S-Rank I get, we were on that mission with you."

"If I recall it was more along the lines of us being your backup, mutt," Ino smirked while Kiba frowned as the technicality. She was, after all, telling the truth.

But Kiba retorted in typical Inuzuka manner, "Shut it, Blondie. Your tits and hair may have gotten bigger but your brain's still the same size."

"… Okay, I have no idea where that came from, especially since brain size has nothing to do with intelligence, Dead Last!" Ino normally would have ripped the boy a new one but decided to save that for later. The girl now hoping there was a fight between Genin down the line.

"May I ask how it is possible that your team took on an S-Rank mission? Those missions are reserved for Anbu and veteran Jonin only," Shino asked, though Shikamaru could tell his teammate's mind was already working out potential scenarios. Other Genin teams were just as curious.

"It's not like we planned it. It just … happened," was all Naruto could say, "Our first one started out as a B-Rank mission because Team Seven needed back up; things quickly escalated from there when we encountered Momochi Zabuza and later Hoshigaki Kisame. Pretty much the same thing happened on the other one."

"Fish-head wanted payback?" Kiba asked.

"Worse… Anko's sensei's teacher," Kiba paled considerably upon being told.

"Shit on a stick!" the Inuzuka couldn't help exclaim.

"I'm lost, what does Anko-san's teacher have anything to do with this?" Sakura queried.

"Oh, not much. Except for the fact he's Orochi-fucking-maru of the Sannin!" Kiba exclaimed and it was Sakura's turn to pale; even Sasuke became shocked. The others of the group couldn't help themselves either, "How the hell are you guys alive? Out of all the nuke-nin Konoha's had, that guy's one of the worst of the worst."

"Honestly, pure luck. Seriously, if you ever meet him, run for your life. We had a VIP with us and had no choice but to fight. Wouldn't call it a fight really, more of a one sided ass kicking. Asshole wasn't even taking it seriously either. All we could do was stall for time before help came along and forced him to retreat," Naruto informed.

"Who could have forced him to retreat? Jiraiya?" Kiba asked, to which Naruto nodded. "Seriously, he showed up again? Man, what are the odds?"

"Jiraiya-sama has been tracking him for a very long time, Kiba-kun," Hinata told him.

"Indeed," Kabuto confirmed, "Story is that Orochimaru was believed to have been a prime candidate for the position of Yondaime Hokage. Many claimed he went rogue when Minato-sama was chosen instead; Jiraiya-sama's been trying to track him down ever since. Rumour has it he's been spotted all over the elemental countries. From Mizu no Kuni to Kaminari no Kuni," Naruto noticed Hinata flinching a bit at the Kaminari bit.

"Hinata, you okay?" Naruto asked her.

"I'm fine," she replied.

"Ah, that's right. The Hyuga Incident," Kabuto recalled, "You'll want to steer clear of those Kumo Genin then," he motioned towards the back corner where two teams from Kumo stood beside one another. Naruto saw Hinata's breathing became a bit hastened while Neji developed a scowl of pure loathing.

A quick use of **Observe** told him that while one group wasn't going to be that big a deal to handle; the other might pose a problem given their levels.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Karui**

 **Level: 29**

 **HP: 2250**

 **CP: 2500**

 **STR: 65**

 **VIT: 90**

 **DEX: 76**

 **INT: 100**

 **WIS: 75**

 **LUK: 45**

 **DEF: 65**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Omoi**

 **Level: 29**

 **HP: 2750**

 **CP: 2000**

 **STR: 79**

 **VIT: 110**

 **DEX: 78**

 **INT: 80**

 **WIS: 60**

 **LUK: 45**

 **DEF: 65**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Nii Samui**

 **Level: 32**

 **HP: 3200**

 **CP: 2000**

 **STR: 68**

 **VIT: 128**

 **DEX: 107**

 **INT: 112**

 **WIS: 88**

 **LUK: 56**

 **DEF: 80**

* * *

"Those three look like trouble," Naruto commented to the group, but only Ino and Hinata understood his meaning.

" _Perceptive one,_ " Kabuto noticed. What Naruto said was true; those three were not going to be easy pickings. Especially since all three were said to have been trained by their village's most powerful Jonin and the second most powerful man of the village, too. One of them was also directly related to the third most powerful Jonin of the village.

"Holy shit!" Kiba exclaimed, his eyes suddenly on Samui. Or, more accurately, her generous bust size.

" _They're probably bigger than Hinata's,_ " Naruto mentally commented.

" _Damn! And I thought Hinata's cup size was generous,_ " Ino thought, a little irked that her bust – though still impressive for her age – wasn't as pronounced as the Kumo kunoichi or Hinata's.

"Oh, momma! Hey, ya think those are–" Kiba suddenly his mouth covered up by his teammate. Unknown to him, the kunoichi in question frowned, having heard him from across the room.

" _Not cool,_ " Samui thought.

"Kiba, do us a favour and shut up!" Sakura growled, having enough of his antics. She knew her teammate was smart but damn if his habits didn't get on her nerves. She was tempted to clobber him good but needed him conscious for the exam.

"Forget the teme, what do you have on them?" Naruto asked, no longer interested in Sasuke's information.

"Not much I'm afraid," Kabuto half lied. He knew some but had no info cards on ether of the, "Ever since the Hyuga Incident, Kumo hasn't participated in any exam hosted by Konoha, or Suna because they're our allies. Apparently, there are talks of both villages trying to bury the hatchet on that incident. Those six are likely last minute entrees so I don't have much on them except basic Kumogakure information I'm afraid."

While Team Eight knew about Kumo's training regiment through Anko, the visible swords they carried made it clear as day to others who didn't know. Kumo had not de-militarize since the last war and their Genin on average were in greater standing compared to the other villages.

"Aside from them there are Genin from pretty much everywhere: Suna, Iwa, Ame, Kiri, Taki, Kusa," that last one surprised Team Eight, "and Oto. Though that last one's relatively new compared to the others, barely a year old, really. So I don't think we'll face much trouble from them despite the teams they sent."

No sooner had he said that did Team Eight sense ill intent coming from the crowd, their friends ignorant of the incoming danger.

"Guys," Naruto muttered lowly, and prepared for anything.

"I see em," Ino stated, her legs tensing.

"Two boys, and one kunoichi," Hinata confirmed, her eyes tracking them with complete ease, "Slightly above average chakra reserves and stats."

"Grrr," Hotto growled, ready to attack at any moment.

Soon there was rapid movement in the crowd, and before the visiting Genin could react, an Oto ninja jumped off a bench, soared high in the air, and launched two kunai towards Kabuto's location. The older Genin backpedalled to avoid the projectiles but had little time to avoid the Genin suddenly appeared before him.

Arm cocked back and ready to swing at the one that insulted his village, the Oto Genin was unprepared by what happened next.

"BARRKK!" a loud ferocious bark echoed in the room, frightening many and taking others by surprise as a large beast barrelled into the Genin and pinned him to the floor.

"Dosu!" the female kunoichi from Otogakure shouted, but felt cold deadly steel on her throat.

"Don't even try, sweetheart," Ino ordered, one dagger across the girl's throat, the other threatening to sever her spine.

"Don't move," Hinata instructed the Genin that launched the kunai, hands glowing a threatening blue and aimed at his vitals.

"GRRRR," the one called Dosu could do nothing as a large powerful paw with deadly nails continued to forcibly hold him down. His eyes widened considerably by a wide margin as they gazed upon a series of sharp teeth attached to a head twice if not three times as large as his own.

"So…" Naruto began, "Give me one good reason why my boy here shouldn't bite yer head off?" Naruto asked behind the canine. "And trust me, it wouldn't be the first time," that declaration unnerved more than a few teams, especially the Konoha teams.

Dosu said nothing but kept his eye on the two. The Oto ninja quickly came to a conclusion, as he detected no lie, " _These Genin… they're like us. They've killed others_ ," the thought didn't put his mind at ease. After all, most Genin, especially those who were born during times of peace, rarely ever killed. Suddenly, the exams weren't going to be as easy as the Sound ninja thought.

"Alright! Knock it off you worthless bastards!" a voice suddenly rang, followed soon after by an explosion of smoke. "Brat, call off your mutt. Oto Genin, pull that shit before the tests one more time and you're village will have one less team representing them! Are we clear!" the man shouted.

"Yeah, yeah," Ino dismissed her teacher's T&I superior, "Anko-sensei's right. He sucks the fun and joy outta everything."

"I heard that!"

"Blow me, skull fuck!" Ino retorted, making the Genin and even the disguised Chunin gape. Naruto groaned while Hinata sighed; both due to the girl's actions.

Rather than get mad, Ibiki's eye twitched and just ordered the Genin to sit down and mentally sigh in exasperation, " _Ah, fuck. Another Anko. That's all I need_ ," the girl had guts and spunk – which was good in the man's books – but the man knew she'd give him countless headaches if she was like her mentor. Anko hadn't made a secret of wanting her as an apprentice.

"Name's Morino Ibiki, I'll be your proctor for this part of the exam. For now, your asses are mine!" he finished with a look that greatly unnerved the weak hearted. "Welcome to the first phase of the exams."

(Sometime Later)

Nearly an hour had passed since they began the written portion of the exam. The thought initially unsettling Naruto since – despite his improvement – it wasn't his strong suit. Were it not for his **Gamer's Mind** Naruto believed he would have hyperventilated when he saw the questions.

Even with him being seated next to Hinata, at best he'd be able to answer four or five but the rest, no fucking way. Sure, his INT and WIS were very high now, but what good was that if he didn't know the correct answer or have it available with his abilitu.

In fact, as time passed and the more he thought about it, Naruto realized something. This written test was a cloak to hide the real test: information gathering. Cheating once resulted in automatic failure at the academy – ironic given their line of duty – but in this one they merely deducted two points for each attempt caught. With ten points to start with, this meant that if Naruto struck out five times, his team was finished.

So for the next forty odd minutes Naruto kept his head down and carefully scanned the area around him until he found his mark. The blond then ordered his ninken to play his role, which, in this case, was urinating on the leg of the ninja opposite him. The ploy certainly worked and when Naruto retrieved the ninken he switched his test with his targets' while they were distracted.

While Naruto and Hottomaru were being brought back, one Genin accused him of stealing his test, only for Naruto to point at his seat to reveal his paper – technically it was Hinata's who was covering for him – had never left its spot. This caused the two Genin beside one another to start fighting amongst each other instead. That is, until, Ibiki had enough and failed them.

All in all, Naruto felt damn proud for pulling that one off and decided to take a page out of Shikamaru's book and took a short nap. By the time he woke up, Ibiki was finishing up some speech or whatever.

"Is that it? No one else wants to quit?" Ibiki asked the remaining Genin of the room. "Remember, if you fai–"

Snore!

Snore!

Ibiki's eye began to twitch as his vision landed on Naruto's sleeping form, "WAKE UP!" he shouted, bringing his arm down on the sleeping boy. The man's fist came up short as Naruto's arm shot up and grabbed the appendage in a strong vice. The Chunin were stunned while many had bulging eyes; Ibiki was surprised.

From their location, quite a few of the Jonin were rendered speechless. True, taijutsu wasn't Ibiki's strong suit compared to T&I, but the man was a Tokubetsu Jonin for a reason.

"Yeah, when you learn under a crazy person, that shit stops working after a while," Naruto informed the man. Ibiki mentally sweat dropped, believing every word. "So, can we get this show on the road already? Or can I continue napping?"

Ibiki remained impassive as he continued looking at the boy. His mind wondering if this whole thing was a set up from the get go, " _Wouldn't be surprised after that stunt he pulled,_ " the Head of Torture and Interrogation thought. As he retracted his arm, the man realized that his influence over the room was now gone thanks to the boy. Ibiki sighed as he knew this was as good as it was gonna be despite the large number of teams remaining and decided to get on with it.

"Congratulations. To the teams that remain, you all pass the first test!"

"We do? Sweet!" Naruto cheered but inwardly sighed out in relief, " _Can't believe my bluff worked_."

"What about the tenth question! What was the point of all this?" he heard Sakura ask, confused by the turn of events. Ibiki merely smiled, his personality completely changing, as he began explaining.

True to Naruto's instinct, the intent of the exam was not the written test but to acquire information. The second was seeing how well an individual did under pressure. The final aspect, the final question, was to see if they had the characteristics and the guts to become Chunin.

"For there will come a time where you have no choice but to move forward despite the odds stacked against you. To survive, endure, and be courageous enough to face those hardships. Those are what make a Chunin. Those cowards, who took the safe route because they didn't have the guts to push forward, don't have the right to become Chunin in my books," the man finished.

"So now we–"

CRASH!

"Wha-!?"

"We're under attack!"

Many Genin in the room scrambled for their lives at notion, but three Genin merely sighed at the action. "Alright, ya little shits! This is no time for celebrating! Cuz the proctor for the next part of the exam is me! The Super Sexy and Vivacious Mitarashi Anko!"

"…"

"…?"

"… Meh, Eight," Naruto commented, causing the woman face plant.

"What! That was a primo entrance, gaki!" Anko shouted.

"You're early, Anko," Ibiki commented. "Kid's gotta point for deducting points. Timing does count."

"Oh, fuck you! Everyone's a critic!" Anko sulked, making many deadpan or become shocked by the grown woman's behaviour, "Whatever. Team Eight! Good job on passing the first part. Now I won't have to tan your tight asses," she applauded her team before swiftly doing a head count.

"Eighty-Eight, Eighty-Nine, Ninety… Ninety! You let thirty teams pass, Ibiki! You're losing yer touch, old man," she grinned.

The man's eye twitched at the old man comment, " _I'm only three years older than you, Anko!_ "

"Bah! Whatever. After the second phase, I'll have cut down their numbers by half," she smirked unsettlingly. Many Genin shivered and gulped at the notion, scared of what the second half would be.

Well, it couldn't be that bad, were the thoughts of some.

* * *

 **(XxX)**

They were wrong. It was that bad, very bad, actually. Before them was a wide expanse of trees that looked like it came straight out of a horror story. Dark shadows that moved from one spot to the next, eyes hidden in the darkness that looked at them hungrily and frightening sounds like the crunching of bones. The name of this place was very fitting.

"Welcome to Training Ground Forty-Four. Aka, the Forest of Death," Anko cackled at their fearful looks. "Normally this place is only accessible to Anbu and Jonin because of the wildlife and hazardous terrain inside. Luckily for you we took some of the nastier beasties out to make it a little easier… but not all of em," Anko dashed the hopes of many with the added comment.

"Rules are simply. Rule one; the training ground has a tower you must reach within five days, but there's a catch. Each team will receive either an Earth or Heaven scroll and your team needs both in order to pass the second portion of the exam. Rule two; every member of your team must arrive at the tower once both scrolls are procured. If even one of you is missing your team cannot enter the tower until you find them. Any team that misses the deadline will be disqualified and shall make their way out of the Forest of Death. Rule three; in the event one or more of your teammates is killed you will automatically be disqualified. A team member that dies within the tower due to injuries will not disqualify the rest of their team. Should you enter the tower with serious injuries please repeat them immediately to get them treated. And finally, Rule Four; opening the scrolls unless you've reached the tower is prohibited. Those who break this rule will have some very unpleasant surprises," the grin on the woman's face unnerved many.

"What about food!" Ino groaned, knowing exactly who asked the question.

" _Why daddy thought it was a good idea for us to be paired again I don't know,_ " sure it was a tradition, but just because they were close didn't mean everyone in the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi got along.

"There are plenty of resources in the forest. Not my problem if you don't know how to forage and hunt," she shrugged. Before the Genin could argue, Anko pulled out a stack of papers, "Before we begin, I'll need you all to sign these waivers. Like I said, there's a chance that some of you will die. Don't like it, tough shit. Right now's your only chance to back out. Once you sign these, the only way back out is by reaching the tower ten kilometres in or in body bags."

"Man, Anko-sensei's really laying it on," Naruto muttered.

"I know. Half of em looking ready to shit themselves," Ino commented, "Looks like you'll have to perform CPR, Hinata."

"They'll be fine. I'm not a registered medic anyway. As such, I'm not obligated to do anything for them," the girl smiled too sweetly.

" _Whoa,_ " the two blonds had no idea where the hell that came from. Both were cut off from their thoughts as a voice called to them.

"Naruto-san?"

"Huh…. Haku! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked the ninja… or was it kunoichi?

"So… how does this work?" Naruto asked, unfamiliar with the process.

"Truthfully, I'm still figuring it out myself. Mei-sama wasn't exactly pleased with Zabuza-sama when she found out about my … upbringing," the memory of the newly instated Mizukage chasing and trying to castrate the former missing ninja with his own sword was one that many wouldn't be forgetting any time soon. Despite her feminine built, Mei was very strong judging by the way she wielded the man's sword.

"Regardless, it's nice to see you again, Naruto-kun," Haku greeted the boy. "As for why I'm here, I'm representing my village. However, if I'm honest, it's still a bit… odd."

"I think Naruto meant _how_ are you here. Last I heard, Kiri was still in the midst of a civil war?" Ino questioned.

"The war officially ended almost a month ago. With the money we earned after Nami our forces began winning more and more battles at an accelerated rate. The Yondaime Mizukage disappeared sometime during this and victory for the Resistance became assured," Haku explained. "It's not perfect but things are slowly coming back together."

"Kiri sent you guys to show the world you're still in the game, huh?" Naruto earned himself some looks, "What? Kiri's the weakest of the Great Five, no offense, Haku."

"None taken," the ninja couldn't dispute the truth of those words. "Given everything that's happened we entered almost at the last second. Originally, we weren't supposed to come but Zabuza-sensei was very … persuasive. My team is here to show everyone that despite everything, Kiri is still a force to be reckoned with. Zabuza-sensei has been pushing us hard as a result," Haku shuddered a bit. If the ninja thought the man was a sadist before then she didn't want to know what his training was classified as.

"Hey! What the hell's going on?" a voice behind Haku called out. "Haku, we need to get going… Who are you?"

"Ah, where are my manners. Naruto-kun, These are my teammates: Chojuro and Hozuki Suigetsu."

"H-hello," the blue haired boy shyly introduced himself, the action reminding Team Eight of Hinata. Well, pre-Team Eight Hinata.

"'Sup," was all Suigetsu said before he took an interest in Naruto, "So, you're the guy that actually landed a hit that made the Monster of the Bloody Mist bleed and survive a head on attack from Samehada itself… I don't see it," he finished, but was cuffed upside the head by his teammate.

"You'll have to forgive him. Suigetsu-san tends to think with his mouth and … and that's pretty much it," was all Haku could say. It was the best way to describe the aspired to be Seven Swordsman.

"Butt out, man… woman… whatever," Suigetsu didn't know which noun to use. "Lets move. The sooner we go in, the sooner the fun begins," he grinned, revealing a set of sharpened teeth before he walked away, his group following after him.

"Someone's in need of some serious dental," Ino dryly commented before adding, "Gotta feel sorry for whoever he goes down on _._ "

Naruto groaned while Hinata blushed. Hotto scratched behind his ear. As she and her team collected their respective scroll – theirs was a Heaven – and began making their way towards the gate. At the sound of Anko's shout, all times made their way inside the Forest of Death: some slow and cautiously, others more brazenly.

The four members of Team Eight – having spent approx. one third of a year in the wilderness – unanimously agreed they would reach the tower on their first day. They could survive but they were good for the next little while.

As they reached the top of the gargantuan trees, Naruto began to give out orders, "Hinata, mind finding our first victims?"

"Hai!" she said and proceeded to scan the area around her with her bloodline as quickly as she could. It took some, what with the area being so large and wide, but after three minutes Hinata managed to find a group.

"Seven minutes that way," she pointed, "Genin are from Amegakure. Chakra levels are marginally above average."

"Right, wanna just ponce and beat the crap outta of them like no tomorrow?" Naruto asked.

"Actually, I've been wanting to use something Anko-sensei taught me. But I'll need your help, Hinata," the Hyuga nodded and gave the blonde her support.

"What about us?" Naruto asked and Hotto barked in agreement.

"Simple, enjoy the show and hit when they let their guard down," Ino told him.

"… Huh?"

* * *

 **(Minutes Later)**

"Anything?" Oboro asked.

"Nothing?" Kagari shook his head, "Looks likes this zone's a bust."

Oboro scowled, "I could have sworn I sensed someone. Whatever, we'll head to the tower and ambush a group. Where's Mubi?" wondering where the third member of the group was.

"Said he had to take a piss… that was almost two minutes ago," Kagari realized.

"Idiot! It won't matter if we have a scroll, without him we can't move on! Which way did the idiot go?"

Kagari merely pointed east and east they went to find their teammate. Kagari hoped nothing happened, as Oboro would take his anger out on him if their chances of passing ended not twenty minutes in.

Lady Luck, however, smiled upon him as they found their last teammate crouched behind a bush. Oboro was about to charge until Mubi quickly spun and silenced them with a gesture.

Both Genin understood and swiftly crouched and harshly whispered, "What have you been doing!"

"Ah… well, you're not gonna believe this," Mubi merely pointed in back of him. Curious, the other two members of Team Oboro carefully looked through the bush and saw an unbelievable site.

"Ah… Ino-chan," Hinata blushed as the blond continued to lightly peck and grope the Hyuga. "No-not here."

"Ah, come on. You love it," here the Yamanaka grope even harder and began to nibble on her ear, "Besides, when are gonna get another chance at this?"

"But…!" the girl was silenced as Ino covered her lips with her own.

"Guys… this is happening, right?" Kagari asked, not really believing his eyes.

"If it's not I don't want to be told otherwise," Oboro said, transfixed by the once in a lifetime scene.

"Yeah," was all Mubi could say and continued to watch. The groping the blond was performing becoming more intense, making the Ame's attention to their surroundings becoming non-existent.

"Okay, that's enough porn for you three," a voice from behind suddenly spoke and then darkness took them. Once he made certain they were all out like a light, Naruto rummaged through their belongings until he find what he was looking for. To his delight, it was an Earth scroll to compliment their Heaven scroll, to which Naruto promptly placed into his **Inventory Box**.

"Took you long enough," Ino said as she rearranged her clothes.

"What can I say? Two beauties making out and groping like no tomorrow, I may be a nice guy but I'm still a guy," no way in hell was he gonna let such an opportunity pass.

"But all said in done, good job," Naruto smiled but looked concerned when Hinata couldn't face him without turning redder. "You okay, Hinata?"

"Fi-Fine, Na-narut-to-kun," Hinata muttered. Truthfully, per Ino's suggestion, the girl had to imagine she was doing the act with the blond male to make it through. Hinata wasn't blind and knew Ino probably enjoyed it more than she should have – Hinata would be lying if a tiny part of her didn't either – but in her mind it was both Naruto and Ino doing the act to her.

"BAAAAARRRRKKK!"

Suddenly and without warning the large ninken barrelled into them. No sooner did the act take place did a cloud of dust, earth, and wood form as a large unknown shadow crash unto their previously occupied location. A guttural snarl, savage and resounded with primal fury, was sung and revealed the assailant to the world. Tall and scaly with two curved horns, the creature appearing almost like a humanoid crocodile or some other reptilian creature.

"Guys, what the hell is that?" Ino asked and through his **Observe** Naruto found the answer.

"Bad news," he said. "Remember that giant lizard thing we fought?"

"Yeah…"

"Turns out he got an upgrade," Naruto knew that was putting it lightly.

* * *

 **Evolved Chakra Mutation: Death Claw – Lv 50?**

 **HP: 10,000?**

 **CP: 2500**

 **STR: 254**

 **VIT: 200**

 **DEX: 223**

 **INT: 100**

 **WIS: 46**

 **LUK: 99**

 **Defense: 185**

 **Special Perk:**

 **Abnormal Chakra Mutation: This perk offers the creature the chance to evolve and mutate into something much more powerful.**

 **Perks:**

 **Apex Chakra Mutation: +5000HP, +50 DEF, +65% Increase towards STR and DEX during combat, +65% Resistance towards Bukijutsu, +35% Resistance towards Ninjutsu, +75% Chance to cause Fear towards low level creatures**

 **Camouflage: +90% Effectiveness Stealth and Stealth based Skills, +90% chance to cause Critical Hits, +70% Chance of being undetected**

 **Natural Assassin: +65% Effectiveness and Power toward Stealth and Stealth based Skills, +65% Effectiveness towards Tracking Skill, +65% chance to cause Critical Hits, +65% increase towards Speed when using Stealth**

 **Description:** A chakra mutation previously faced by Team Eight that took on the form of a very large monitor lizard. Since its defeat it has recovered from its wounds and underwent further mutation. While its size remains the same, it has undergone a serious change in looks and its stats have received a remarkable boost, too.

 **EXP Earned: ?**

 **Drops: ?, ?, ?**

* * *

Running was no good thanks to the boost in the **Tracking Skill** , which left only two options: fight or flight. And Naruto being Naruto wasn't about to turn down a good fight.

* * *

 **I'm back baby! Sorry about the delay. I just finished classes, got a new job, been helping renovate two houses for my parents so one could be sold (seriously the market it was in has been crap for the last 5 years), and the other to be up to code.**

 **Then laptop crapped out and was in the shop for a couple of weeks. Lost some data and had to start all over again. Good news, the next chapter already has 1000+ words and my Harry Gamer chapter has 3000+ words. Expect another update in two weeks. Also, once i'm caught up i'm potentially thinking either a Harry Potter/Game of Thrones story or a Game of Thrones/Gamer story. Comment on what you guys think?**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: A Not So Easy Road**

"So fucking bored!" Meiko said for the twelfth or thirteenth time today. Or was it the fifteenth? Either way she lost count and was bored out of her mind. Outside her special cell were two Anbu who ignored her insistent wailing. But that didn't stop the girl from making her thoughts known, which was beginning to aggravate the other prisoners.

"Hey, shut up in there!"

"Us normal crooks are trying to sleep!"

"Hey, Red! You wanna put that mouth to good use?" another said.

"Sure, but I prefer foot longs to sodomized cocktails wieners," Meiko's reply was met by laughter and a shout of anger from the insulted criminal.

"You're dead, Red!"

"Yeah, yeah," Meiko was used to the man's ranting ever since she got here, wherever here was.

" ** _Meiko, come in,_** " a voice rang in her head.

"Honoka-sama?" Meiko asked, confused but the sudden order.

" ** _Don't speak out loud you fool! Just think and be brief. This form of communication is taxing and our current distance will render this conversation short. Where are you?"_**

" _Konoha. Inside their prison cells somewhere,_ " Meiko answered. _"Where are you?"_

" ** _You're imprisoned you fool! I can't tell you that!_** **"** for someone so smart and skilled the girl was an idiot at times. **"** ** _Where are the Uzumaki_** _?_ "

" _Don't know. They took me away while they dealt with the girl. Overheard that the cute blond's taking part in the Chunin Exams,_ " the girl said.

" ** _The exa -ms?_** " here the responses were becoming staticky, " ** _We… keep… tou…_** _"_

" _Honoka-sama? … Honoka-sama!_ " Meiko received no response and merely cursed as she lay back down on her bed. But the girl knew from the tone that Honoka was cooking something up. " _And whenever that happens,_ " here the girl shuddered at the prospect.

* * *

 **(Forest of Death)**

"Fucking hate this. Fucking hate this. I fu-freaken hate this!" Ino shouted before she ducked into a thick of tree roots too small for the creature to follow after.

"We fucken know, Ino!" Naruto shouted back as he unleashed a **Dai Reppusho** to draw its attention. Within moments he dodged – barely dodged actually – another swipe before the large abomination made another of its frighteningly quick moves. Then again, with a DEX amount of 223 it was no surprise. Even with Naruto's higher DEX amount it was the skills he possessed that allowed him to evade harm.

Ino, Hotto, Hinata, however, had much lower stats. While Ino had speed boosting abilities that made her the second quickest member, it wasn't by much unfortunately. Both she and Hinata needed to be careful around this creature.

Currently their bout had gone on for approximately fifteen minutes with them only landing a few decent hits and being forced to block or dodge many more. All three of them had been forced to drink some potions to recover from the damage. Naruto, however, wasn't looking for a long drawn out fight and had quickly formulated a plan to rid his team of the creature. Naruto wouldn't mind such a battle but right now they needed to get to the tower before anyone else. A pissed off Anko was a scary Anko.

"Guys! Keep it distracted!" Naruto ordered once more.

"Real funny!" Ino shouted and dodged another swipe by barely a hair length. "Whatever you're thinking do it fast, Naruto!"

"BAARRKKKK!" Hotto agreed as he spun into a drill at the creature's exposed back. The act failed and Hottomaru was smacked away by the powerful scaly tail; the ninken crashed hard into a tree and was left dazed by the move but was otherwise fine.

"Hey, fucktard! Get you fat ugly ass away from my partner!" Naruto followed up the insult with a **Shishisenkou** (Lion's Battle Roar) and effectively angered the snarling beast even further.

Your **Taunting Skill** has gone up by–

" _Note to self: edit pop ups_ ," Naruto mentally noted, ignoring the pop up and running away from the creature. The blond dodged swipe after swipe and countered or blocked with his weapons. However, Naruto noticed a series of cracks that soon began to form on his kanabo.

" _Fuck! Now of all times!_ " he cursed. Naruto quickly learned that his luck went either way: extremely good or extremely bad.

"BURRAWWWGGHHH!" Death Claw bellowed out another deafening roar. The power generated forced them back and forced them to cover their ears. Giving it ample time to pounce on Naruto.

Which was exactly what he wanted it to do.

" **Fuinjutsu: Tsuchigumo Shibari** (Sealing Technique: Earth Spider Binding)!" Naruto declared with a grin as an earth spider with various glowing characters appeared. Wrapping its appendages around the creature and squeezing with bone crushing force. The creature struggled against the sealing technique but cracks quickly began spreading across the earthen-made spider nonetheless. At its utmost level the Tsuchigumo Shibari was said to be one of the most difficult sealing techniques one could escape from. But Death Claw had some formidable strength in it and the technique was barely at the halfway point of mastered.

" **Suiton: Kyuto-Suiben no Jutsu** (Water Release: Nine-Headed Water Whip)!" as the name implied, nine tendrils of water with serpentine heads appeared and began to wrap around every available limb and bit hard into the skin. While the struggling lessened, the biting attempts proved not as efficient due to the hard thick skin Death Claw possessed.

Ino believed she had just the cure for that, " **Raiton:** **Raiju no Jibachi** (Lightning Release: Thunder Beast's Electromagnetic Murder)!" arcs of lightning flowed along the water whips and the serpent heads quickly changed into a hybrid beast. The increase in power did the trick and the bites proved successful in their attempts to pierce the flesh of the creature, which howled in anger and in pain.

"Naruto! Whatever you're planning do it quick! This thing's not going down easy!" even with their combined binding techniques the creature's resistance to their efforts was something to admire. Annoying but it had to be admired, too.

"And for the piece de resistance! **Taju Bunshin Daibakuha no Jutsu** (Multiple Clone Great Explosion Technique)!" Naruto declared and the group watched as nine Naruto's appeared and charged at the bound creature. "Scatter!"

Ino and Hinata didn't have to be told twice; both cancelled their techniques and used a Shunshin to make a quick escape from the blast radius. But Death Claw acted quicker and destroyed a couple of clones with a swipe when it managed to break free. The reaction caused a premature explosion of clones and then all went black.

* * *

 **(Forest of Death Tower)**

Anko frowned as she felt the tremor and saw the rise of smoke coming not five kilometres from where she stood, "Got a few promising ones this year," she noted. "Then again, it could just be my brats. Bit overkill. Gonna have to teach Naruto the meaning of restraint," there was an exercise in futility.

"Your team," a cat masked Anbu asked from behind her.

"Probably," Anko wasn't a sensor but somehow she had an inkling it was her team causing such havoc. She didn't care about that though. So long as they arrived first she'd be happy; she'd be ticked if her team didn't arrive first.

"Incredible. Barely an hour in and already only five kilometres away," the operative noted. "However, an explosion of that size is a tad excessive."

"Eh, whatever works," she shrugged.

"True, but ninja are meant to be stealthy, Anko," for all his worth, Naruto would not fit in the Anbu. He had power and unique qualities of one, just not the mandatory stealth. Naruto knew stealth, true, but his fighting style was power based and explosive. Everything had to have a dramatic emphasis to it.

"How's his swordsmanship? Hayate and I haven't seen him in a while," then again, Naruto was part of a team so he had less and less time to see them. Still both ninja had grown fond of him during Anko's agreement, "He isn't slacking off is he?"

Anko laughed as she heard the edge in Yugao's tone and because Naruto was the last person to slack off, "Nah. Gaki can't sit still for the life of him. That kid's always doing something, whether it's training or fixing up his new place he's always on the move."

"He'd better be. Still, Hayate and I'd like to see how much he's improved," she'd have to wait of course, but Yugao was a patient woman. Having to deal with the likes of Anko most of her life and her line of work left her with no choice really.

"I'll give him the message," Anko said.

"On another note, Anko, I have to ask you something serious," Anko nodded and Yugao asked what had been plaguing her for quite some time, "How strong is your team?"

Anko looked Yugao straight in the eye… well, eyehole… and wondered where this came from. Anko would have made a curiosity killed the cat joke but in a rare moment she gave her friend a serious answer, "Separately, all three will be Jonin material in a few years and Naruto will be stronger than me in less than a year's time if he continues pushing himself," Anko would still give him a run for his money. "Scary part is that in three years time, Hokage-sama believes he'll rival Sakumo's prowess if he really pushes it," and with his ability Anko could see it happening.

Even with her mask hiding it, Anko knew Yugao was floored by the revelation. Sakumo had been one of the few ninja to have surpassed the combined might of the Legendary Three Ninja and one of the few men of his time that rivalled the Sandaime in his prime. To those who knew, Hiruzen had commented that had Sakumo not committed suicide he would have been the Fourth Hokage instead of Minato.

"I… see," was Yugao could say without giving away her emotion. "And the other two?"

"Not anywhere as strong but if they really push it they may earn themselves a spot in Konoha's top ten. At the very least they'll be considered the best of the best in their areas of expertise," however, Anko knew both were trying to develop a technique that would greatly enhance their prowess and potentially put even the best on edge once it was mastered. "Put together those two could end up being the next Senju Tsunade," she further flabbergasted the woman and soon began to cackle with glee, "The amount of bragging rights will last me a lifetime."

Yugao couldn't help herself as she sweat dropped at the crazy guffawing kunoichi. Then again, this was Anko after all. Most Jonin with remarkable students bragged amount their accomplishments; Yugao would be very surprised if the woman didn't do such a thing. Thinking about Team Eight, Yugao couldn't help but wonder how long it would take them to arrive.

* * *

 **(Somewhere Unknown)**

"… Ow," Ino groaned and winced before she checked her status. Aside from reduced health and lower CP levels, Ino saw nothing out of the ordinary, "Good, nothing broken," Ino was satisfied and then began to assess her surroundings.

"Itai," Ino heard a feminine groan and spotted her blue haired teammate. "Ino-chan, are you alright?"

"Could be better but no worse for wear. You?" she asked.

"I'm fine. A bit sore though," the Hyuga told her. "Have you seen Na–" Hinata shivered and her face became flush with color for reasons unknown to her. Ino, however, quickly discovered the cause.

"Hmda, h cnt brth!"

"Uh, Hinata," the blushing and shuddering Hyuga looked at the smirking Yamanaka, "I think he's the cause of your soft landing."

Looking downwards, Hinata blushed even redder as she realized what Ino implied; Hinata was currently face-sitting the suffocating blond.

"Hi cnt brth!"

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata shouted embarrassed and worried at the same time.

While Naruto was gasping for air, Ino couldn't help herself despite the situation and asked, "So, how was your first c–"

"Not a word!" Naruto said to his fellow blond, his face flush with embarrassment and other emotions "Not. A. Word."

Ino said nothing, but Natuto noted that damned smirk of hers remained nonetheless.

"Mina… where are we?" Hinata asked, her former predicament forgotten.

All around them the group saw old worn down metal, caved in passageways, and the smell of rot. Rot from both food, and of something else the group was unfamiliar with.

"It looks like an abandoned lab," Ino added in.

"Why would anyone abandon a lab?" Naruto asked, arching his back to get the kink out.

"My guess, Orochimaru," was the Yamanaka's answer, "Anko-sensei said he had a few of em here and there. Sensei suspected he had one in Konoha she didn't know about, too. Place looks trashed, though. Someone or something must have found it and a fight started."

Naruto and Hinata couldn't help agreeing with their teammate. The walls had the signs of cuts and deep gashes normally associated with swords and blades of wind. The group even spotted broken shards of glass of what they assumed to be vials. Nature was almost everywhere so this must have occurred some time ago. Then again, the Forest of Death was no ordinary forest either.

That mattered little when Ino realized something crucial, "Shit! We gotta find an exit and quick."

"Why? What's the rush?" Naruto asked, not sensing anything, and Hotto didn't smell anything either otherwise he'd have made a sound.

"Well, for one that thing is still out there, weakened as it is. And second, do you wanna hear Anko-sensei whining about how we didn't come in first?" knowing her sensei, Ino was willing to wager that the woman placed a bet on it with the other Jonin instructors.

"… Oh, shit! We gotta get outta here fast," the blond was more worried about the latter than the former. Having the two scrolls was great and all, but they wouldn't do them any good down here.

"Easier said than done, Naruto-kun, Ino-chan," Hinata spoke, her bloodline limit visibly active, "These walls may be old but there's something in them that's interfering with my Byakugan," the girl winced and let up to avoid a potential migraine.

"Fantastic," Ino muttered dryly, "Well, on to Plan B. Whiskers, Hotto you're … uh… Where's Hotto?"

No one in the group said anything the moment they realized that the group ninken wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Fuck!" Naruto cursed and made a large amount of Shadow Clones. With his current CP he could make a hundred clones with a good chunk of chakra and two hundred with just enough to be stable and still pose a threat. "Alright boys! Scatter. Half of you find Hotto and the other find us a way outta here!"

The clones did as instructed and quickly began searching for a route out of the underground. However, not three minutes in did Naruto feel one of his clones pop, followed by another, and another one. "We're not alone down here."

"Thanks a lot! You had to make it creepy," Ino cursed and drew her twin daggers. The girl couldn't help herself as worry began to fill her being. Unlike her fellow blond, despite the perks of being his teammate, neither Ino nor Hinata fell under the full protection of the **Gamer's Mind.** "What is it?"

"It's not Death Claw; way too small and way too subtle. Whatever it is, it strikes from the shadows and it's very stealthy," based on what he saw Death Claw was more straightforward and less delicate in its approach despite its perks.

"Bhhooaarrrgggghhhh!"

"… That there is Death Claw," Naruto stated, feeling the walls vibrate and sensing the end of some of his clones. "Shit."

"Oh, please don't say it," Ino knew where this was headed.

"Well, there's good news and bad news," Naruto began, ignoring Ino's groan, "Good news is my clones found an exit we can take and Hotto's there. The bad news you can already imagine."

"Can't you just use a bunch of Great Exploding Clones and surround whatever it is?" Ino asked only to receive her answer via a collapsed hallway. "Right, never mind."

As much as Ino desired escaping as quickly as possible the girl wanted to make it out alive and in one piece instead of a pancake.

"It gets worse. My kanabo is on its last leg, I'm afraid," Naruto admitted to the group.

"Can't you just repair it?" Ino asked. Naruto's weapon skills were awesome but the truly destructive and impressive ones that were notable for getting them out of a jam were used by his kanabo.

Naruto, however, shook his head. "No can do. My **Gear Maintenance Skill** is good but it ain't omnipotent. Each fix reduces the maximum durability by ten and increases its degradation rate. Even at its current level at best I'd only be prolonging the inevitable. A few more good blocks and maybe a dozen more hits are all that's left in it before it's no good anymore."

"Don't you have any other blunt weapons, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked him.

"Make shift only from our time in the dungeon. And only a few of em, too," Naruto cursed. "Enough talk, let's get Hotto and get outta here."

* * *

( **Elsewhere** )

"Where the fuck are they!?" a red-headed teen shouted.

"They couldn't have made it to the tower already… could they?" a dark skinned ninja with six arms asked no one in particular.

"They may be good, but there's no way they're that fucking good," the girl retorted. "You're the team tracker. You should know where the hell they are, dumbass!"

"I don't know! They just aren't –"

"Tayuya. Kidomaru. Be silent," a voice spoke and both complied. Not out of loyalty, but out of fear. If Kimimaro wanted one of them to stop talking there were only two options: stop talking or face the consequences. The consequences were the reason why all four other members of the Sound Five feared the last Kaguya.

"Y-yeah, sure," Kidomaru said, sweat pouring down the back of his neck. Had it been anyone else Tayuya would have told him or her to fuck off; Kimimaro wasn't just anyone. Even when his illness took its toll and forced him to be bedridden, the leader of the Sound Five was still the strongest among them. After that it became the Sound Four and Sakon-Ukon became the leader and strongest member – the condescending prick as Tayuya liked to call him had gloated at that.

That all changed ever since their master came back from his failed mission – not that they would call it that out loud for multiple reasons. Though he didn't set out to do what he initially hoped, it was evident that Orochimaru had come back with a consolation prize that was just as good. Whatever it was ultimately allowed Kimimaro out of bed and made his illness much more manageable after a month, and there was even talks about it potentially being cured down the line if all went well.

Kimimaro was fiercely loyal to Orochimaru. The ninja didn't tolerate any bad mouthing, criticism or second-guessing on anything the man did. He was also a no nonsense kind of person, too. Which meant what little things they could get away with Sakon-Ukon as their leader no longer flied. The only decent thing about Kimimaro being back as leader was him putting the twins in their place.

"Orochimaru-sama said not to underestimate these three. It's possible they have indeed reached the tower before we could intercept them. The laxness of your tracking skill since I left is quite appalling, Kidomaru. Much like your sense of decorum has worsened, Tayuya," the look in Kimimaro's eyes, while impassive and void of emotion, greatly unnerved the sixed-armed ninja and the red haired kunoichi.

Before the dark skinned teen could explain himself, Kimimaro broke eye contact, "Move out. We've no time for petty excuses. We do as instructed. We find our scroll and make for the tower. Failure isn't something our master tolerates."

On that the other two ninja could agree and with that note being left in the air, Kimimaro vanished and both his teammates released a breath neither knew they were holding, "This fucking blows," Tayuya said and Kidomaru agreed.

While Orochimaru left the Sound Five to their own devices for the most part, Kimimaro was strict and demanding of his underlings. For that's what they were to him, his underlings. None of them were seen as his friends and any fault they did were not to be tolerated in his mind. Kimimaro only considered one person his friend and he was the only other person aside from Kimimaro, Orochimaru and Kabuto that the other members of their group feared angering.

And Kimimaro was the only one of the Sound Five that could beat that dangerous monster. And now Kimimaro was back in the game. And if things continued as they did, the Sound Five weren't going back to how they used to be.

* * *

 **(Meanwhile with Team Eight)**

"What. The. Hell. Is. That?" Ino accentuated each word as she looked upon the strange creature.

"Let's see," Naruto muttered.

* * *

 **Bio-engineered Creature: Tobikadachi - Level 42**

 **HP: 5000**

 **CP: 1300**

 **STR: 122**

 **VIT: 200**

 **DEX: 175**

 **INT: 52**

 **WIS: 27**

 **LUK: 67**

 **Defense: 93**

 **Perks:**

 **Camouflage: +50% Effectiveness Stealth and Stealth based Skills, +50% chance to cause Critical Hits, +50% Chance of being undetected**

 **Natural Assassin: +45% Effectiveness and Power toward Stealth and Stealth based Skills, +45% Effectiveness towards Tracking Skill, +45% chance to cause Critical Hits, +45% increase towards Speed when using Stealth**

 **Electro-Conductive Fur: +45% Effectiveness and Power toward Raiton based Skills, +45% Increase towards Speed and Power of Taijutsu based Skills, +45% Increase towards Lighting Resistance, +65% Chance to Cause Paralysis Status Effect, -45% Decrease towards Water Tolerance**

 **Description:** A bio-engineered chimeric-like creature that lives in the abandoned lab of Orochimaru. The creature is known to use its environment and swift and nimble body to quickly end its prey with a series of unique and unexpected attacks before it has time to react. Its unique fur picks up static electricity on anything it touches, which it then uses for various purposes.

 **EXP Earned: ?**

 **Drops: ?, ?**

* * *

"And I thought Anko-sensei was messed up," it was clear Orochimaru was on a whole other level of mad if his pastimes included making these things.

The creature's face resembles a colubrid in appearance with grayish blue scales covering its slim squirrel-like shape. On its back were patches of white fur as well as a bushy tail covered in rows of spikes. Its front limbs also had a few spikes.

"Looks likes a squirrel fucked a snake," Ino muttered.

"Ino now's not the ti… Oh, hey, you're right. Imagine that? I thought it would look way different," Naruto added in.

"Wait, you've thought about this before? Who the hell thinks, 'what would you get if a squirrel and a snake got together and had a baby'?" Ino asked incredulously.

"I get bored. Sue me! Not my fault I have an active imagination that's been known to pull your ass out of the fire," Naruto countered.

"You really need help, Naruto," a deadpanned Ino told her teammate.

"Says the Sadist Queen of Konoha in training who can mind fuck the hell out of people seven ways to Sunday into her own personal bitches," Naruto argued back.

Meanwhile the creature was left confused by the bantering of the two humans/meals before it. The distraction allowed Hinata to use her Rosary of the Wandering Miko to hide her presence and edge her way towards Hotto. Unfortunately, her plan was all for nought as the ninken woke up, spotted the Hyuga, barked loudly enough to gain the creature's attention, and exposed Hinata.

"Hotto, you dumbass!" Ino and Naruto both shouted, angered by the ninken blowing their teammate's cover. Both moved in quickly and grabbed a hold of the creature before it could react, which was only barely. Naruto's arms wrapped around its head and neck, while Ino dug her daggers deep into its leg to impede its movements. A series of clones were quickly created, all seven of then proceeding to smash their kanabos into the creatures form in order to quickly end the beast.

They didn't get too far as the pain was felt.

Arcs of lightning flowed off the creature's form and Naruto and Ino were unfortunately too close to evade the unexpected move. The clones were unable to handle the pain and were destroyed due to intense electricity, the suddenness of it caused Ino and Naruto's limbs to stiffen and go limp. Both fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

 **|Warning! Paralysis Status Effect in Effect! Paralysed for 30 Seconds|**

" _Oh, fuck off!_ " the two blonds couldn't believe their luck.

"Bhhooaarrrgggghhhh!"

Scratch that. They really couldn't believe their luck. Moments after the roar rang did a large and rage bellowing Death Claw come crashing through the wall. Stone and metal were thrown everywhere and Naruto and Ino were unfortunately struck.

" _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,_ " Ino panicked as she say the wickedly clawed creature. In their present state they were easy pickings for both creatures. In sum, they were fucked. And not just ordinary fucked. Royally up the ass without lubricant and no amount of money would save you fucked.

Spotting the downed kunoichi, Ino felt her heart stop as Death Claw pounced and raised its claw for a killing blow. Luck smiled on her as an angry Hotto and the unknown creature barrelled into it, throwing it off course and crashed through another wall.

"Hotto," Naruto called out and was forced to grunt and plant his feet into the ground with chakra as his ninken's flying form came at him. "You okay, buddy?"

"Arf!" the once again small ninken barked. But Naruto saw that Hotto's HP and CP were low. Grabbing a couple of Medium Grade Potions, Naruto had Hotto down them as quickly as possible and watched as the ninken's HP returned to less worrisome levels.

"Bhhooaarrrgggghhhh!"

"Graaaghhhrrr! Hssssssss!"

Naruto winced as he heard a squelching sound followed by hisses of what could only be described as pure agony. Naruto soon saw why when Death Claw and Tobi-Kadachi came out and the former had a severed tails and a bleeding and useless eye. Death Claw looked better but its other horn was now gone along with one of its left finger-claws.

Seeing them both distracted, Naruto drew his uchigatana and channelled the Chakra Nagashi into it to increase its cutting edge. The boy followed up by creating a series of Kage Bunshin and waited for the right moment.

" **Suiton: Mizu Hari no Jutsu** (Water Release: Water Needles)!"

" **Raiton: Fuicchimyaku no Justu** (Lightning Release: Dissonance Pulse Technique)!

" **Renkeijutsu: Geki Rekkō** (Co-Operation Technique: Raging Light Fangs)!"

The barrage of white was as good a sign as any in Naruto's opinion and the blonds moved into strategy positions when Ino and Hinata let the technique up. Death Claw had other plans. Bellowing with rage, the mutant creature launched itself at the two kunoichi with speed that caught them off guard. Fortunately a few of the lighting powered needles struck its eyes mid jump and the falling claw missed its target. Unfortunately, Ino was unable to dodge the wild backhand swipe and was sent through a brittle wall, while Hinata as sent crashing into a pile of rubble. Naruto saw that how both of them lost a bunch of HP from the move, and while it wasn't too bad another would land them in the red zone.

"Bark!"

While Naruto was busy being worried about his downed teammates, Hotto took this time to pounce on Tobikadachi's neck and began raking at its eyes to great effect. The momentary distraction cost him as Death Claw lunged at the blonde with its maw agape.

" **Hakke: Kikosho** (Eight Trigrams: Qigong Palm)!" Hinata shouted from beneath Death Claw. The mutation was caught unaware and was ill prepared for the unexpected force of the consecutive concussive blows that sent it high into the air.

" **Dokujin: Shojaga Otoshi** (Toxic Blade: Flying Snake Drop)!" Ino suddenly appeared above the beast, her daggers glinting in the light and coated with a greenish film before they were driving deep into the eyes of the beast.

 **|MASSIVE CRITICAL HIT LANDED!|**

"Bhhooaarrrgggghhhh!" once more Death Claw bellowed, this time both in anger and in agony. Sizzling was heard and fumes were seen coming out of the wounds.

" **Shinigami no Kagekoku (Death God's Shadow Strike)!"** as one the nine clones and the original swung a series of painful slashes at the beast's exposed back. Two were dispelled by Death Claw's wild thrashing and one missed its mark but managed to sever the left claw at the elbow. By now the creature was on its last leg.

"Ino, Hinata, help Hotto! I got this asshole," Naruto ordered and both kunoichi complained. Drawing two of the fuma shuriken he acquired from Jiraiya, the eight remaining Naruto jumped high into the air, threw the deadly shuriken, multiplied them by five and watched as eighty deadly flying projectiles descended upon the struggling creature. To finish it off, Naruto had his clones use their remaining chakra for a **Futon: Reppusho** to enhance the deadliness of the already lethal stars.

The sound strategy ended in their favour as only a few of the deadly projectiles bounced off the tough hide while the majority of them found their mark. Ultimately the wounds and negative status effects it was suffering from proved too much for Death Claw. The creature shuddered for a moment and roared out in defiance, but the sound was feeble and the creature fell and perished into particles of white.

" _Finally, that took forever,_ " Naruto thought and out of the corner of his eye he saw the other creature disappear into particles of light, too. But in addition to that.

"Uh, Ino. What's with the–"

"Don't know. Don't wanna know. What I do know is that I need a shower, big time, and I don't wanna talk about it," the blonde practically growled as she tried to rid herself of the slimy green and pungent film. The film had coated her when she went through the wall and Ino was lucky it wasn't causing any health problems.

Seeing that his teammates and ninken were fine, Naruto passed them a couple of health potions before he took a look around. Much of the room was trashed either from the battle or due to years of neglect and whatever the creature did to turn it into a nest.

Still, it couldn't hurt him to look around and see if there was anything useful to use. Orochimaru of the Sannin was a twisted bastard, but the man was hailed a genius in his field. Whatever was left could hopefully be used against him. The cause wasn't an easy one to fulfil since much was decayed or trashed beyond salvage, but managed to find a scroll that was in good enough shape underneath one of the overturned furniture.

Opening it up, Naruto furrowed his brow as he tried to understand what it all meant, "Hey, Ino. What's all this abou?" Naruto asked; Ino glanced over and promptly took the scroll out of his hands as she gave it a quick read.

"... Notes… scribbles on poisons and some pretty nasty ones, too. Some of em are too complex to make out properly at the moment," Ino said.

 **Toxicology Level too low! Unable to learn recipes**

 **Increase Toxicology Skill to Expert to learn three new recipes**

 **Increase Toxicology Skill to Master to learn all five recipes**

"Well, that's convenient," Ino muttered and stored the paper away in her inventory box. "Find anything else?"

"Nothing. Everything's decayed or destroyed beyond hope of salvage," Naruto told her.

"Too bad," one would think the lab of a former S-Rank ninja would have more to offer. But years had passed so finding at least one salvageable scroll was a win in her opinion. Switching her attention elsewhere, Ino looked at the dropped loot.

* * *

 **Raiton no Yoroi (Lightning Release Armour) – Rankless**

Lv. 1 Next Lv. 0/75. **CP** **usage varies on time, and actions used.** A technique that is similar to the Shunshin but instead wraps the user's body in a layer of lightning chakra which, instead of being used offensively – though it can be with proper control and experience – is used to electrically stimulate their nervous system. The technique speeds up neural synapses reaction time, and pushes physical prowess to greater levels along with allowing for incredible speed. At its utmost apex the technique enhances the user's physical capabilities to their highest level possible. The technique, however, is among one of the most difficult lighting techniques to use, let alone master, and can be quite dangerous to the user if not used properly or if they lack proper control of their chakra.

* Increases evasion by 40% when activated

* Increases moved speed by 40% when activated

* Increases Taijutsu and Weapon Skills Speed and Power by 20%

* Increases DEX and STR by 20% when activated

 **Requirements:**

* Must have Lighting Affinity

* WIS level must be 150 or above to learn

* * *

 **Minor Elemental Gem (Rare Quality)**

 **Permanently Grants** **the Following:**

 **|Weapons|** +30% Additional Lightning Damage to Melee Skills, +15% Power Increase to Lightning Skills, Further +30% Increase in Effectiveness against Earth, Durability Reduction Increased by 30% against Wind, 30% Chance to cause Paralysis, Increases Durability by 35

| **Armour** |+15% Increase towards DEX, +15% Increase towards Movement Speed, +30% Resistance increase towards Lightning and Paralysis Status Effect, +30% Effectiveness Increase to Lighting Skills, Durability and Resistance Decreased by 30% against Wind, Increases Durability by 70

 **Description:** Similar to Beast, Undead, and Sea Beast Orbs; Elemental Gems hold the concentrated energies of an element itself. Contrast to granting skills and permanently increasing the user's stats, the gems imbue weapons and armour with the element instead; changing them into new and better gear.

 **Special Note:** Be forewarned. Elemental gems are of single use only and should the gear in question be destroyed they will require an armorsmith, weaponsmith with a special skill or item to restore them. Doing so otherwise will result in forever losing the enhancements.

* * *

 **Devil's Claw** \- **Rare Quality**

 **Blade Weapon**

 **Durability 75/75**

 **A weapon made from the claws of the Evolved Chakra Mutation – Death Claw. The bones are very sturdy and their unique composition makes them lighter, sharper and stronger than normal animal made weapons. The wicked edge on them allows the user, when sufficient strength is applied, to cut through flesh, bone, rock and metal. And if that isn't enough, the cut and lacerations will cause the victims to bleed severely.**

 **Attack Power: 54-75**

 **Bonus Stats: + 25 DEX, Ignores 35% Defense, Ignores 50% Defense when used at night or while unnoticed, +65% Chance to cause Bleeding, +35% Chance to cause Severe Bleeding/Sever**

* * *

"Damn. These are some good finds. Makes me wish I had a lighting affinity," Naruto commented. While there was nothing preventing him from learning lighting techniques, they wouldn't be anywhere as effective when compared to those with an affinity for said element. Even with his clones and time altering skill helping him it would be very time consuming to get them at a decent level compared to fire and wind based techniques. "So, who's got dibs on the weapon?"

"I would like a weapon of my own, but this looks like it would serve Ino-chan better than me," Hinata inwardly sighed at being denied another weapon.

"Don't hear me complaining. Shame I gotta stop using **Dakatsu's Bite** pretty decent tool," Ino had been using that weapon since they first met Death Claw's pre-evolved form many months ago.

"Well, actually, I think I got something that can take care of that," Naruto added. "I mean, it'll take some time but hang on to Dakatsu's Bite for the time being."

Ino merely shrugged and decided to hang on to weapon instead of selling it; hopefully whatever Naruto had planned would be useful.

"Ano, Ino-chan, what happened to your boot?" Ino blinked before she looked down to see that her left boot was in fact gone.

"Must have happened during the crash. Ughh. Be right back," the blonde groaned; annoyed by the delay and due to fact she'd have to go back into the room of unknown substance to begin her search.

"Alright, **Map**!" Naruto called out and watched as a holographic map of Konoha appeared before him. "Okay, we're here. And if I'm reading this properly the tower should be three klicks northeast from this place. Full on sprint and we should get there in no time," dispelling the map, Naruto conjured some clones and had some of them transform into Ino and Hinata and Hotto just in case and ordered them to leave the base.

"Hey, Ino, you ready!"

"Uh, guys! Little help!" was the reply.

Both Hinata and Naruto looked at one another before they and the orange ninken quickly rushed through the broken wall. What they saw wasn't what either of them expected.

"What the hell is it doing?" Ino asked, trying her best to ignore the cuddling little white snake-thing. "All I did was put on my boot and next thing I know my body freezes up and this … thing is rubbing itself on me. I can't move anything."

"It looks like a baby version of the Tobi-Kadachi," Hinata commented.

"I know what it looks like, Hinata, I'm asking what the hell it's doing!" she snapped and shivered as thing rubbed itself underneath her neck. "Please make it stop."

Naruto couldn't help himself and laughed, "Oh, man. You really do have bad luck with animals, don't ya?"

"Oh, please no," Ino whined; now knowing what was going on. Any doubts the girl had were gone when the creature began to affectionately pure and nuzzle itself against her neck. First the dire wolf cubs and now this.

"It's imprinting on you, Ino-chan," Hinata smiled at the scene. "You're probably the first thing it saw, and the film you're covered in makes it think you're its mother."

"Arf!" Hotto barked, not out of hostility but out of curiosity.

"Hiss!" was the reptile's response; coiling around Ino like a child would hide between its parents legs.

"Fuck!"

* * *

 **(Forest of Death Tower)**

Anko blinked as she looked at her team. They had arrived first – she know they would and lucky them their asses wouldn't get tanned – but the woman couldn't help herself as she gave them a look over and her gaze landed on the small blue-white serpent creature, "Guys… What's that?"

"Ino's baby," Naruto quipped.

"Not funny!" Ino shouted even as the snake-squirrel thing continued to rub its head against her head, its scales were surprisingly soft compared to Midori's rough ones. Luckily the paralysis was gone, though how it was done she could have gone without.

"I mean, what the hell is it?" in Anko's professional opinion it looked like the horror/love child of a drunken night between a squirrel and a snake.

"Yeah, well, we did find him in one of your crazy mentor's old labs. No, he wasn't there and the place caved in when we ran into our old friend from Training Area Nine. Don't ask, please. I just wanna take a shower and get this day over with. Where are they?" Ino asked. Once told she put the creature down and began making her way towards the showers' direction. The small creature following closely behind her like a child would a parent.

"Imprinting?" Anko asked Hinata and earned a nod, "Well, congratz, Blondie!" she called out.

"Fuck you!" was Ino's echoed response was followed by a hiss.

"Ah, my little sadist is growing up so fast," Anko sighed.

"Doesn't that mean you're getting o–" Naruto barely blinked before several dozens of kunai and shuriken flew at him with the intent of slicing him to ribbons. Each one missed but the suddenness and fatigue he felt required all the speed his tired form could muster.

By the end of the barrage, Anko had a seriously false sweet looking face as she told him, "It is so important for your future and the future of Hinata's babies that you don't finish that sentence, Gaki," Hinata blushed mad at the thought.

Normally one would expect them to say such a thing _before_ they started throwing deadly metal projectiles at their person. However, none of them were Mitarashi Anko.

"Yeah… well, what happened to you?" Naruto deflected; Anko's clothes were littered with cuts and her HP levels were down by half.

"Can't say," despite wanting her to, Anko was ordered to remain silent on the matter. If word got out that Orochimaru managed to infiltrate the exams it wouldn't look good on Konoha's part. Even though he was an S-Rank ninja, it wouldn't matter to the rest of the world. Trade and the number of missions would decline along with Konoha's reputation. Other villages would use this information to their own benefit and the exams would possibly be cancelled if Hi no Kuni's Daimyo was pressured enough. Quite a few ninja were from prominent families and heirs from powerful clans were partaking in the exam this year.

"Okay, whatever… So, what now? We're here and we finished the second part, what next?"

"Now, you wait."

"So, we're stuck here?" Naruto said.

"Fraid so, Gaki. Once you're here you're not to leave unless the Hokage grants it. Better settle in cuz its … Wait, what I'm I talking about? You're gonna dungeon crawl to kill the boredom, aren't you?"

"…Maybe," Naruto's mischievous glint in his eye betrayed him.

"… Ah, fine. Just do me a favour and don't do anything before the last day. I got a wager, and I don't wanna lose cuz my student did something stupid before the match ups."

"Match ups?" Hinata and Naruto looked at one another and then back to a nervous and sweating Anko, who just realized her fuck up.

"Uhhhh… Shit … Okay, bye!" was all Anko quickly said before she disappeared just as swiftly in a puff of smoke and leaves. Hoping no one caught wind of that. Moments later Hinata excused herself and headed towards the showers as well.

Left alone, Naruto and Hotto made their way to the rooms that were being used for the exam. While small, the rooms luckily enough were individual and there were enough of them to accommodate thirty people per floor. Contemplating on what to do next, Naruto took out the chest he found in Nami no Kuni's dungeon and began to fiddle with it to pass the time and figure out his next move.

"Dungeon crawl is on hold for now since we just came out of one yesterday," the blond would have to wait a couple of days before he could go back in. "Guess I can improve some of my skills till then, maybe even come up with a few new ones," the latter was a bit more difficult.

Much of the techniques Naruto knew were based on pre-existing ones so tweaking them into something else wasn't as hard compared to coming up with something original. The Sexy no Justu itself took him over two weeks to master but it was basically just the Henge of nude woman with wisp of smoke strategically placed.

"What else is there to do?" Naruto wondered. Even with his Shadow Clones and his dungeon time manipulation, creating a new and a truly effective technique would take too much time. Naruto wouldn't be able to master them quickly enough for them to be of good use with either within four days, especially when he hadn't been taught on how to properly create them. His more original techniques were guesswork and on the fly than anything and Naruto wanted to avoid the former path.

As he continued to ponder on what he could do before the five days were up, Naruto heard a click, rousing Hotto from his nap momentarily before he put his head back down.

 **Lockpicking Skill has increased to Level 25**

 **Chest Unlocked!**

" _Finally,_ " Naruto was starting to wonder if he'd ever get the damn thing open.

"A couple of water techniques. Oooh, B-Rank ones, too. Hinata's gonna love these," it would be a good consolation prize since she didn't get a weapon, the blond set them aside for now and continued to rummage through the chest. "Rusted Junk. Jewels and … huh, that's useful," he muttered.

* * *

 **Minor Ring of the Swordsman**

 **Armour/Accessory**

 **A small silver band with a sword engraving and seals of unknown origin; wearing it increases the proficiency of sword techniques and even offers a small form of defense along with reducing the amount of chakra needed for them. The ring's effects are stackable with similar rings.**

 **Bonus Stats: + 1 Defense, +15% increase in Effectiveness, Speed, and Power towards Kenjutsu based Skills, 15% Decrease in CP towards Kenjutsu based Skills**

The ring was a pretty decent prize. Not great but not useless either. But the parchment below it was the real prize.

* * *

 **Secret Teaching's of Gorō Nyūdō Masamune (Part Two of Four)**

 **(1/4) Incomplete Scroll**

 **Details:**

 **Part two of the legendary scrolls that hold the secret smithing methods of the world's greatest swordsmith. By itself the scroll is no better than an ordinary scroll. However, when combined with the other three missing scrolls the instructions will grant one the ability to forge the best of swords along with showing them how to forge the best of chakra metals.**

* * *

Naruto could only grin; one done, three to go.

* * *

 **(Sometime Later)**

Temari grunted as she peeled off her sweat-covered clothes and stored them away in the kunoichi locker room. While the dormitories were individual, the showers in the Tower of Death, while separated by gender, had to be shared by the local and foreign teams instead of getting their own separate facilities. Not that it really mattered to the Suna kunoichi. Water was a very prized commodity that many in Suna believed was taken for granted by the other countries. Suna's resources, water especially, were carefully monitored. Even though she was the Kazekage's daughter and eldest child she couldn't afford to be wasteful. Showers and baths were timed and seen more as a privilege than an actual comfort.

Here, however, Temari could afford to be greedy as she was no longer in Suna. Here, away from the prying eyes of her team and fellow ninja, she could allow herself to indulge. Covering herself, Temari made her way to the showers and heard the sounds of pouring water

"Someone else?" Was it another team, she wondered? Then again, the Tower was bound to have kunoichi Chunin so that was another possibility. But as Temari rounded the corner, the sight of blond and blue hair that covered a pair of toned bodies greeted the Kazekage's eldest.

"Ooohhh, kami-sama, this feels good," Ino moaned with pleasure. Beside her feet Temari saw an odd furry little creature shaking and chirping as the warm water fell upon its head.

"It's only been a day, Ino-chan," Hinata said and giggled as the little creature snapped at the water droplets.

"Don't care. After fours month without showering I am in no way gonna miss another if I can help it," was Ino's response.

" _Four months?_ " Temari wondered what the girl meant. While Suna had its share of water shortages that forced them to forgo a day or two of showering, four months without showering was pushing it.

"It wasn't that bad, Ino-chan. The survival training was beneficial," Hinata said.

Temari cocked at eyebrow at that, " _Survival training?_ " that would explain a lot. " _But four months worth?_ " that didn't add up. From what her team was told, Team Eight was a rookie team with barely six months under its belt.

"Well, obviously you wouldn't complain. You got to cuddle up next to your blond teddy bear. I'm surprised you never jumped his bones," Ino cackled at the scarlet-faced bluenette.

" _Teddy bear? What the hell?_ " Temari was beginning to realize she had stumbled onto a private matter she shouldn't be listening to.

"Ah…Ano… so were you!" Hinata managed to squeak out.

"… Yeah, you're point?" Ino blunted asked, "Anyway, you better make a move soon, Hinata. Naruto's a dense idiot; he's our idiot for sure, but dense. Sooner or later someone will come along and catch his eye."

Temari saw that the Hyuga said nothing but there was a sudden change in her body language that caught the Suna kunoichi off-guard. For whatever reason it just looked off on the kunoichi.

"What he's got below the belt is pretty impressive, too," she smirked.

"Wha–Ah–Ho–How would you know that!" the blunette was bordering on supernova at this point.

"I took a peek," Ino shrugged and both Hinata and Temari couldn't help but gape. "Then again, I could be fibbing. Or am I?" she smirked even more.

"This girl's got problems," Temari lowly muttered. However, the details about Naruto were appealing to be honest. The blond whiskered ninja was a certainly good looking.

"Ya know, it's rude to listen in on a private conversation last time I checked," a voice behind Temari said. Adrenaline pumping like mad, Temari instinctively turned around but found her mouth covered and arms pinned to the wall. This caused the towel she had around her to fall, leaving her bare as a newborn. Not that it mattered as the woman before her was equally as bare despite wearing a bathrobe.

"Now, I don't know exactly what you heard but ally or not if I hear you blabbing to anyone about what Genin were talking about," here she accentuated the threat by summoning a series of snakes from her sleeves that coiled and slithered over Temari's naked form. Their cold skin causing the Suna ninja to shiver and even let out a small moan when they passed over her more intimate areas. While she was focused on that, two of them bared their fangs with an audible hiss and looked ready to strike at the girl's neck and ass.

"Well, you get the idea," Anko said and dismissed her snakes. As she left Temari against the wall and made her way towards the showers, Temari yelped out and gasped as a hand smacked her ass, "Not bad by the way," Anko grinned and Temari blushed in embarrassment.

" _Tree huggers my ass. These ninja are crazy!_ " needless to say her perception of Konoha's ninja had drastically changed.

* * *

 **(Five Days Later)**

"Where are they?" Hinata wondered, her team knowing she meant the absence of Team Seven.

"Who knows? But they're outta luck if they don't make it here in the next twenty minutes," Ino said.

"You say that but we know you're worried about them, Ino-chan," Hinata told her; the blonde huffed and blushed at being caught.

"Yeah, well, the Teme better make it. I got years of payback lined up," Naruto grinned, smacking his fist into the palm of his hand.

Luckily for Naruto Team Seven did manage to arrive in the knick of time. However, all four looked like they had seen better days. "Whoa, what the hell happened to you guys?"

"Yer sensei's crazy's mentor," Kiba growled out.

"Again? Seriously, does Orochimaru have a hard on for young teens or something?" Naruto had no idea what man's deal was, but as he saw Sasuke rub his neck the blond spotted a black mark, "Oh, shit. He marked the Teme, didn't he?"

All three ninja of Team Seven stiffened and looked at Naruto with worry, "How do you–"

"Anko-sensei has one, too. Trust me, that thing is bad news; it gives you a large power boost but brings out the worst in you and acts like a parasite that worms into your head and influences your every thought. Bastard tried to pull the same stunt on us; we only got lucky at the last second," Ino and Hinata shivered at the memory.

"He wanted to brand all three of you?" Kiba couldn't believe it. Sasuke was the last Uchiha and had the Sharingan so he could understand that, but what made the Genin of Team Eight so special?

"Like I said, hard on for teens or something," Naruto told him. Above in the alcove with the other Jonin, a disguised Orochmaru had to suppress his eye from twitching. Despite the boon from Naruto's blood, and the potential gains from both past and future projects, the man was seriously contemplating a series of elaborate tortures – all specially designed for Naruto in mind – that would make even said jinchuriki's most elaborate pranks look tame by comparison. But that mattered little now. What did matter was that the second half of the second phase was currently underway.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Level: 39 Next Level: 11,132/62,400**

 **HP: 8000**

 **CP: 12525**

 **STR: 166**

 **VIT: 257**

 **DEX: 252**

 **INT: 393**

 **WIS: 173**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 115**

 **Attribute Points: 0**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Level: 32 Next Level: 11,349/38,800**

 **HP: (3075/3075)**

 **CP: (1800/1800)**

 **STR: 74**

 **VIT: 116 (7) = 123**

 **DEX: 117**

 **INT: 72**

 **WIS: 61**

 **LUK: 38**

 **DEF: 70**

 **Attribute Points: 0**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Yamanaka Ino**

 **Level: 34 Next Level: 12,969/51,000**

 **HP: 1975**

 **CP: 2375**

 **STR: 85**

 **VIT: 79**

 **DEX: 143**

 **INT: 94**

 **WIS: 215**

 **LUK: 33**

 **DEF: 65**

 **Stats: 0**

 **Money:** 795,460 Ryo (79,546$)

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hyuga Hinata**

 **Level: 34 Next Level: 15,471/51,400**

 **HP: 3125**

 **CP: 2525**

 **STR: 53**

 **VIT: 125**

 **DEX: 169**

 **INT: 101**

 **WIS: 237**

 **LUK: 35**

 **DEF: 70**

 **Money:** 1,178,456 Ryo (117,845.60$)

 **Stats: 0**

* * *

 **I'm back baby! It's been a very long time but I have a very good reason. This year both sucked and was good. Sucked because I now have to find a new job as I was unsuccessful in landing permanent and need to find another job (upside is that there's a chance to get contract work extension). My grandmother and her twin (essentially two grandmothers more or less passed away less than three months apart) and we become very short staffed at work and the last thing I wanted to do was write since that's what I did at work and I had my last two courses for my Occupational Health and Safety Degree that made my brain explode over and over again (I passed).**

 **And finally, my copies, backups, and backup backups for Harry Potter, this story and even my new Game of Thrones/Gamer story (months and all together was basically 200K plus words were last when my computer crashed. Computer was covered but much of my info was corrupted and what remained was barely even 10K combined. I lost my muse for writing as a result. When I get it back new video games and movies came out so I was distracted and I'm doing powerlifting to get in shape and I also have to help with renovations at two places for my parents.**

 **But I am back and I have 5K worth of material. So expect an update in two to three weeks for this one. In addition, my Game of Thrones/Gamer fic will incorporate elements of the Dark Souls series. Considering how dark and difficult both Thrones and Souls are and how some of their backgrounds are done I believe their elements would mesh well together. I'll try and incorporate some elements of the books but damn did Martin make them long and detailed. I'm struggling to remember everything so I apologize for that for any inaccuracy.**

 **Long story short, review, enjoy. Happy reading.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: Let the Ass Kicking Begin**

" _Come one, Jiji, just start the bouts already,_ " much as his self-control had improved, Naruto was getting very antsy. The boy wanted action.

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama," a voice Naruto was familiar with announced, "But I believe I'm to take it from here."

Nodding to the proctor, Hiruzen sat down and beckoned the man to continue, "By all means, Hayate-kun."

"Thank you," the man coughed, "First off, congratulations to you all on making it to this round. Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of Genin that made it through we will be having an elimination round."

"Elimination round!"

"What the hell man!"

"You mean we did all this for nothing!"

"If you don't like it that's not my problem. In a month's time *cough* clients of various influence will arrive; lords, Daimyo, merchants, and traders will see the best of the best the hidden villages have to offer. Their importance to a village's thriving is paramount, and they many can't *cough* afford to be away from their post for too long. We have thirty-three Genin here at the moment. If all of you were to fight it would take up too much time. Thus the need for an *cough* elimination round."

Naruto heard a few of them curse – actually; Shikamaru being the lazy bastard that he was sighed in annoyance – and guessed a few of them had been hoping for an easy pass to the final round.

"Now, before we begin, is there anyone here that wishes to back out?" Hayate asked. Many of the Genin looked at one another but only one raised their hand.

"Kabuto-kun?" Hinata asked; Sakura looked at him, too.

"Bad luck once more I'm afraid, Hinata-kun. I barely made it at the last minute and my reserves are very low. Even with my medical skills I'm incredibly tired and I can't hear too well out of my right ear due to my latest scrimmage. It's taking me a great deal of effort just to stand and any medical supplies I had were lost on the third day, unfortunately," Kabuto sighed with exasperation, "The Cursed Genin indeed. Sorry, Yoroi, Misumi; I'm afraid I'm out of this one. Maybe next year."

"Assuming we're still on the same team," Yoroi remarked.

"True," Kabuto said and began making his way to the stand where the other Jonin looked.

Naruto frowned as he looked at the 'Genin' and muttered a quick **Observe** on his retreating form. True to his word, Kabuto did have negative status effects and his CP and HP levels were pretty damn low. Whether it was to fool them or honest to kami injuries, Naruto had no idea.

"Very well. Since Genin Kabuto has forfeited his chance to proceed *cough* further the match ups are now even with thirty-two Genin remaining. Once you see your names on the random selector come down. You will fight only when I say *cough* so and you'll stop when I say so. Break those rules and you risk being disqualified. Any interference by a Genin's teammates or their Jonin instructor during a match will result in said Genin being *cough* disqualified. A match will also be called if a Genin states they forfeit."

As he finished, a large screen soon began to lower on the wall in front of them. Before their very eyes the contestants watched as the first name appeared.

"First match will be Haruno Sakura of Konoha against… Yamanaka Ino of Konoha!" Hayate declared and ordered everyone but the contestants to clear the floor.

As they reached the stands and stood next to their Jonin instructors, Naruto felt sorry for his former crush. Unless Sakura developed and mastered a series of unique skills, this fight was going to end one-sidedly. A quick use of **Observe** showed him that Sakura had in fact only gone up five levels, the last level up being very recent, though her WIS levels were very high.

"Your girl's going down, Kakashi," Anko announced, confident that her future apprentice would make quick work out of the pinkette.

"You sound so sure, Anko," Kurenai told her friend.

"Duh. Pinky just got here and she's banged up pretty good, Nai-chan. My team was the first to arrive and on the first day," she smirked some more; Kurenai frowned but inwardly she was a tad worried.

"I'm surprised they let you proctor in the first place, Anko," Asuma said, "Conflict of interest and all."

"Please. Much as I'd do anything to win, I ain't petty enough to give my team an edge in something like this. If they win its cuz of my mad training skills," her team had other thoughts on the matter.

"More like crazy."

"Batshit nuts."

"Inhumane."

"Arf!"

"I fucken hate you four so much right now," Anko muttered, vowing to make her team pay for that.

"Pretty sure the overcompensating swordsman hates you more than you do us, Anko-sensei," Naruto nodded to a glaring Zabuza.

Anko merely looked at him and barely give him the time of day, "His ass is probably still sore from the pounding I gave him. Fucked him up good," she smirked; Zabuza's eye twitched at the double entendre and he was sorely tempted to bifurcate the Snake Mistress. The man's attention was drawn elsewhere as Hayate began the match.

"Ready… Hajime!" Hayate declared.

Ino wasted little time getting up close and personal. The blonde kunoichi lashed out with a kick that caught Sakura in the midriff and sent her sprawling. Had it been Ino's full strength the likelihood of Sakura being out for the count would be high but Ino didn't want to break her former friend's ribs.

They were still comrades and she didn't want to show off too much of her strengths. Sakura, to Ino and Team Eight's surprise, managed to get up rather quickly despite holding her stomach and wincing.

"Sakura's got an earth affinity," Naruto noted. And if memory served him, earth was a dead useful element for defence; some of the minor techniques were capable of increasing one's durability and defence from certain blows.

"Then it's a good thing Blondie's got a lightning affinity," Anko muttered. Anko watched as Ino dodged a series of kunai and shuriken that were thrown at her with relative ease. The woman became momentarily worried when Sakura threw four shuriken that suddenly turned into a dozen each, but watched as Ino performed a series of dodges and acrobatics that put even a cat to shame. Despite her natural grace, the Yamanaka had taken Anko's contortionism lessons pretty hard at first but quickly turned out to be a natural.

" **Bunshin Shuriken no Jutsu** (Clone Shuriken Technique)," Hinata named the technique. It was an advance but relatively useless technique that was taught in the twilight years of the academy. But the distraction was apparently enough for Sakura.

" **Raiton…** " but the blonde stopped suddenly to the intrigue of many.

"Genjutsu?" Naruto surmised. It made sense though. With her perks and **WIS** levels, Genjutsu was the perfect skill for Sakura to use. And unlike him, Ino and Hinata weren't immune to the effects of Genjutsu.

"Indeed. We were short on time and since Sakura lacked the physique for Taijutsu and the necessary chakra levels for truly effective ninjutsu, I asked Kurenai to instruct her when she had the time," Kakashi was not surprised by how well she took to the art.

Genjustu was a skill few mastered because of the large amount of control it took, which in itself took a great deal of time to accomplish. Genjutsu was often disregarded unless one had a natural knack for chakra control and a flair for creativity. An advantage of having lower levels of chakra most of her life allowed the pink haired kunoichi to develop a very close feel to her chakra. Unintentionally, control came even more easily to her as a result.

"How good is she?" Anko asked her friend.

Kurenai, however, merely smirked rather than answer, "You'll just have to wait and see, Anko."

"Bitch," Anko countered with any true bite and looked back at the arena.

"I'll admit, Forehead, this is pretty good. Here's the thing, though. Genjutsu is only as good as its caster, by how skilled its victim in breaking it, and the more chakra one has the harder it is to manipulate in order to trick them," Sakura frowned in agreement, her levels were very low and it took much of her concentration to keep Ino from breaking her control over said illusion. Sakura was good and had greater chakra control, but Ino had much more chakra and was decent at chakra control, the advantage would turn into Ino's favour if Sakura didn't quickly capitalized on her current fortunes.

One of the problems with Genjutsu was that once a person realized they were in one, especially the lower tier ones, it reduced the psychological stress they felt, making the illusion they were put under even less effective. Sakura was skilled enough to make certain Ino wouldn't be able to move, but it took a great deal of concentration and was quickly draining the kunoichi of her remaining chakra.

"The other thing is that Genjutsu for beginners requires the caster to remain stationary so the illusion doesn't fuck up on them," here Kurenai frowned, both at the vulgar language and because Ino was right. The Ice Queen of Konoha herself had faced the same problem when she first began learning truly effective Genjutsu and it had taken her years to learn how to focus and cast them while moving at high speeds and performing other tasks. It took her much less time compared to others, but it took quite some time nonetheless. Truly effective Genjutsu came from those who could multi task on an incredible level.

Unfortunately, for Ino, Sakura could walk while casting one of her illusions and began doing so right now. Some of Jonin nearby were surprised; while not uncommon it was still impressive for a beginner to do such a feat, "And does this have a point, Ino-buta?" Sakura asked whilst making her way towards the Yamanaka, drawing a kunai from her pouch.

Ino merely smirked as her head suddenly moved towards Sakura's direction, "It does, Forehead. Sick her!" From Ino's sleeve burst forth a small, blue serpentine quadruped with a scaly squirrel like tail. The creature was very quick and nimble and Sakura was caught off guard by the unexpected move as the creature landed on her face.

To add salt to the wound, Sakura's eyes widen as she felt her illusion suddenly break with incredible ease and found herself flying through the air as a kick landed in her gut once more. Kurenai bore the same look as her student and thought along the same lines; the whole thing was a set up, a trap to lure Sakura into a false sense of security. And both teacher and student fell for it. Despite recovering from the blow, wincing all the while, Sakura was unable to defend herself as the creature from before managed to bite her in the neck.

" _Game over,_ " Naruto thought, the single action from the snake-creature caused Sakura to begin shaking uncontrollably and fall to the ground. To the audience it looked like Sakura was having a seizure and ultimately the match was called.

"Shosha! Yamanaka Ino!" Hayate announced while the medical team made their way to the battle ring.

A sharp whistle had many concerned, even more so as the creature bit the downed girl's leg once more, and Sakura's shaking began to subside. Fearing she had gone too far, Ino found herself surrounded by the other Konoha Jonin and given a cold look by Kurenai.

"Yamanaka-san! You were declared the winner!" Hayate barked; the creature hissed at the sickly swordsman for the outburst towards its mother and put the man on guard least he be bitten as well. Strangely enough, Hayate noticed that Anko wasn't among the Jonin that surrounded the blonde.

"Relax. All Tobi did was inject her with the anti-venom. She'll be out for a while though," Ino told them. A quick look at the medics, and confirmation that the girl was fine and the poison neutralized, allowed Hayate to dismiss Ino. Tobi soon followed the girl and swiftly climbed up on her and curled on her neck like a scarf.

"Strange creature," Kankuro noted but had to admit its venom was fascinating and would greatly benefit his fighting style. Off to the side, the Jonin from Oto couldn't help but agree with the Kazekage's eldest son. The creature was indeed strange in Orochimaru's opinion, but no less interesting. Yet familiar, too.

"Tobi?" Naruto asked. "You named him Tobi?"

"Yeah. It's short and sweet. Good boy, Tobi. Who's a good boy?" the little creature purred and chirped at the praised from its mother. Elsewhere a man in an orange swirl like mask suddenly felt the need to change his name.

"I'll never understand women and their mood swings," Naruto suddenly felt a great deal of Killing Intent directed towards him that would have overwhelmed him had the **Gamer's Mind** not protected him. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

" _Yes/_ _ **Yes!**_ " while Naruto didn't hear the former, the blond blinked and mentally sighed as the latter was heard from within.

" _Well, look who finally made himself known after nearly a month. What do you want, Kyubi? I'm kinda busy here,_ " Naruto told the millennia natural disaster.

" **Nothing. Just enjoying the drama you found yourself dragged into. I'm going to enjoy watching you struggle with this** ," Kyubi chuckled darkly.

" _You know, I don't get you. You say you hate me yet you don't want to look weak and won't hesitate to give me your chakra. Yet when I need help you get off by seeing me struggle. What the hell?_ " Naruto asked.

The Kyubi merely shrugged and said nothing except release a dark chuckle once more. Everything became silent and Naruto knew the damn demon would be leaving him alone for the next little while. Observing, yes, but left alone all the same.

"Okay, Gaki, rule number one if you ever want to get laid," Anko began – much to the disbelief of many around them – but didn't get far.

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you there. Show of hands if anyone here thinks it's weird that my female teacher was about to give me pointers on how to lose my virginity?" all Naruto was met with was absolute silence, "… Really? No one here thinks that's weird? No one has the balls to say anything? Are you really that scared of – Never mind, I retract that last statement –"

"Too late, Gaki," Anko looked positively evil at the moment; Ino and Hinata knew their teammate was screwed.

Which led to Naruto cursing out loud, "Fuck!"

"Well, not any time soon, kid," Asuma chuckled, earning a smack upside the head from Kurenai.

Sighing with exasperation, Hiruzen had ordered the next selection to be picked. Within moments a name appeared, "Inuzuka Kiba of Konoha against… Nii Samui of Kumo!"

"Yahoo! Let's go, Akamaru!" Kiba whooped and rushed to the arena with his partner. Samui by contrast was more efficient and methodical as she made her way down.

"Any bets on who will win?" Ino asked her teammates.

"The patriot in me wants to cheer for my home village, but I'm gonna have to go with the Kumo kunoichi on this one," Naruto's declaration surprised many for not siding with the home team; Kumo especially.

"Why's that?" Kurenai asked, surprised and a tad insulted.

"Unless Kiba-kun has greatly improved in the last few months he will be hard pressed. Furthermore, Kumo has their Genin learn kenjutsu during their academy days and this team made it to the tower not half an hour after we did on the first day," that tidbit of information made some of the other Genin nervous. There was no guarantee that those who arrived first were the more skilled of contestants but they shouldn't be overlooked either.

"Team Seven also arrived at the last minute and their members are tired. And Kiba-kun just told Akamaru to stay put," Hinata pointed out her well thought points; Kurenai couldn't find fault in her former ward's logic.

" _She really has blossomed under Anko's training… More than she ever did with me,_ " it was a sad reality and a slap to the face if she was honest. If any doubts remained about Hinata bettering under the genjutsu mistress's tutelage than Anko's they were gone now. Much like Naruto Hinata had improved in months than the years she had with Kurenai. The woman was forced to acknowledge that Anko was right: she had been coddling the heiress.

"So Kiba's chances of winning?" Anko broke Kurenai from her thoughts.

"A bit on the slim side at the moment, they'd be better if he was using his ninken," Naruto wasn't surprised by the Inuzuka's arrogant and incredibly dumb decision, "Unless he's got a move up his sleeve I don't know about then the chances of this fight being Kumo's win are high."

Kiba's level had increased a lot more than Sakura's and his stats were better than before. However, Samui's levels were still higher and unlike Kiba and Akamaru, her CP, HP, and Fatigue Levels were at the most desirable level. Looking over to Samui's team, Naruto spotted her teammates and whom he assumed was their Jonin instructor. His **Observe** had him worried as he looked at her.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Nii Yugito - Elite Shinobi**

 **Level: ?**

 **Black Market Bounty: 81 Million Ryo**

 **HP: ?**

 **CP: ?**

 **STR: ?**

 **VIT: ?**

 **DEX: ?**

 **INT: ?**

 **WIS: ?**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: ?**

 **Special Perks:**

 **?:?**

 **Perks:**

 **?:?**

 **Stats: ?**

 **Details: ?**

* * *

" _So an instructor with the Elite Shinobi class on them. Great,_ " only a few Jonin here such as Kakashi, Gai, and Zabuza had that special classification. This meant the Genin were trained by one of their village's best of the best. And with a bounty that high Naruto surmised that said instructor was a powerful one.

There was no guarantee the students' would be powerful based on that alone; Team Seven was an okay team and while Kakashi was a great shinobi – for he, too, had the Elite Shinobi class – his teaching skills could be way better according to Anko.

"Hajime!"

Kiba wasted no time, the cocky young Inuzuka Clan heir shot at the blonde with speeds that some had difficulties keeping up with. Samui, however, having been taught by the Champion of Kumo, Kira B, – having a jinchuriki and accomplished Jonin for a sister helped, too – and his unorthodox and no hold back teaching style enabled her to keep up with the feral boy just fine. Each swipe was dodged, ducked, jumped over, and in a few cases she lashed out with a punch or kick that sent Kiba sprawling.

As the matched went on, Asuma frowned. The act was something that was noted by Kurenai, "Asuma? What's wrong?"

"That girl's fighting style... it's like Shikamaru's," he muttered. Indeed, for while there were some noticeable differences, the Kumo kunoichi's fighting style was very methodical. Each manoeuvre she made was carefully calculated; each miss of Kiba's attacks were only by a few inches and every counter was strategically landed on areas that would impede Kiba's movements or hamper the effectiveness of his attacks.

And she hadn't even drawn her tanto yet, "That girl is no ordinary Genin," the son of the Hokage said.

"Obviously. Samui was the Top Genin of our year and she skipped a year, too," Karui told them. While skipping years was not that uncommon in some villages such as Konoha, Kumo's requirements were much more strict on their Genin for who could and could not skip a year.

"Top Genin?" Chouji wondered.

"Kumo's equivalent of Rookie of the Year," Kakashi informed Team Ten; his eyes were much more focused now on his student. The way she moved already had Kakashi on guard, the way she fought even more; Kakashi knew his student wouldn't have an easy match, especially with him thinking he wouldn't need Akamaru to help him. Despite his efforts, especially after the Sandaime's talk, Kiba was, unfortunately, like most Inuzuka children, very headstrong and stubborn when it came to change. Change came very slowly unless something drastic happened.

Swiping at her once more, Kiba was caught off guard by Samui expertly grabbing him by the wrist and slamming him down on the ground at speeds that the cocky Inuzuka didn't believe she possessed. He was up off the ground quickly enough but before he could retaliate he felt a fist slam into his face, a harsh blow to his neck, and a flurry of other blows that landed on his sides, chest, and knees. To finish it off, Kiba felt a sharp tug on his hair before he tasted blood as a knee crashed into his face when he was forced to bend forward.

" **Raisho** (Lighting Palm)!" Swiftly did a palm covered with lighting chakra slammed into his chest and Kiba was left both breathless, burnt and sent flying across the room before he struck a wall with a resonant thud.

Ouch!

"Whoa," Ino commented. "What was that and where can I learn it?" the technique looked so simple yet its effectiveness was no laughing matter.

"Doubt you ever will, Ino. The teachings of Kumo's fighting styles are pretty hush-hush. Pretty sure that was a basic move of the Nintaijutsu Fighting Style they teach," Anko told her.

"Nintaijutsu?" that sounded pretty badass in Naruto's opinion.

"A combination of ninjutsu and taijutsu blended together to form a unique fighting style; the few in Kumo that know it are close to the Raikage in some form or another, even then only a select number are allowed to learn it. The style allows the users to manipulate chakra to form techniques without using hand seals. People have been trying to crack it for years without anything coming close to being as good as the original," Anko explained.

Despite her talent, Anko had fought and lost pretty badly to one such user when she was a Genin under her former master; the fighting style and ninja that used it were no joke.

"The flow of chakra around her is… unique," Hinata spoke softly, "It's like she's using her entire body as a weapon and using the chakra flow on it. But the flow is much different than how it normally should be."

Off on the sidelines, Neji frowned at his cousin's words but with his own Byakugan activated he had to agree that her description of the phenomenon was accurate. Sasuke himself was using his Sharingan to see the flow but except for the movements she was pulling his Sharingan wasn't at a level that his mind could truly understand what was going on with the chakra.

"Raarrghh!" Kiba shouted a war cry as he managed to right himself from the crash; he followed up by performing one his clan's signature techniques: **Gijū Ninpō: Shikyaku no Jutsu** (Imitation Beast Ninja Art: Four Legs Technique). "Yer going down, cow tits!"

Hearing this Samui merely frowned and icily uttered two words, "Not cool."

"Oh, no," Yugito knew exactly what was going to come next. This match was over.

"Kick his ass, Samui! Show that mutt who's the boss!" Karui shouted.

"He's dead. Samui's gonna kill him, and the war between our village is gonna start again," Omoi rambled on until his female counterpart butt in.

"Will you knock it off? She's not gonna kill the idiot. Knock him senseless, sure, but not kill him," were they in the field Karui knew it be a different story but the Raikage had given them orders not to kill any Genin unless forced to.

"It's like you don't know her," Omoi calmly told his teammate.

Watching him ingest a military ration pill, Samui made her move with speeds that put her previous one to shame. To the surprise of everyone it wasn't towards the Inuzuka heir, but to the small ninken that was on the sidelines. Her dagger flashed out quickly and knocked away the pill Kiba had flicked towards Akamaru's open mouth, right before she plunged it into his hind leg.

"AAARRRFFF!"

"Akamaru!" Kiba shouted, "You bitch! I'll –"

"Don't move, " Samui threatened and dug her tanto deeper into the downed Akamaru's leg. The young pup whimpered and whined at the pain as he tried to break loose but Samui had a very firm hold on the pup. Noticing the movement of his hand, Samui dug her tanto even deeper than before and muzzled the puppy with her hand in a vice grip. "Drop the pill."

Cursing for having been caught, Kiba, having never been in this kind of situation, didn't know what to do. His Inuzuka blood was boiling and he wanted to fight the one who injured his partner. But on the other hand the more rational part of his mind told him that anything he did would endanger Akamaru.

"Drop. The. Pill. I won't tell you a third time," Samui now had electricity flow into her tanto and Akamaru's whining became louder and unbearable for quite a few to hear. While the Inuzuka were formidable ninja due to their unique relationship with their ninkens and the incredible collaboration techniques, their greatest strength – cliché as it sounded – was also their greatest weakness. The strategy Samui had ultimately pulled went in her favour.

"Alright, I give! Just stop it!" Kiba conceded.

"Winner by forfeit, Nii Samui!" Hayate announced.

Stopping the flow of chakra, Samui lifted the small ninken and put a comforting hand on his head. Contrast to her behaviour during the fight, Samui was incredibly gentle when she handed Akamaru over to the medics that come to take him.

"Kiba don't!"

Seeing his chance and seeing only red and ready to make her bleed, Kiba launched himself at her exposed back. But the Inuzuka never got his chance to land a strike and didn't even come close to Samui. Kiba suddenly found himself floating in and out of consciousness the moment his head was slammed face down on the hard floor with incredible force. On his neck he felt five sharp protrusions.

" _Her speed. It's incredible,_ " Sasuke had his Sharingan on the entire time the scene transpired but even then he wasn't able to register the Kumo Jonin's movement. " _So this was the power of a Jonin ... No. This is the power of a true Jonin,_ " he corrected; realizing that the Kumo Jonin had arrived there before even Kakashi. This was the power he needed.

"Try that again and you'll regret it!" Yugito hissed at the Genin; her eyes narrowed into cat like slits.

"Nii-san!" from the stand everyone saw Hiruzen standing from his seat. "Kindly remove yourself from my Genin. We will take it from here."

"The Raikage will hear of this!" the woman said but acquiesced to his command.

Hiruzen frowned but knew his hands were tied. He was not as strong as he once was, but Hiruzen's mind was still as sharp. Few knew that he knew that the Nii women down below were the current Raikage's paternal cousins. And the man was not one to take slights against his family lightly.

"Rest assured. The boy will be punished and punished severely," much as he sympathized with the boy due to knowing how special the relationship between an Inuzuka and their ninken was. But Kiba's attack was unbecoming of a future Chunin and as a ninja in general.

"Kiba you moron," Ino groaned at the boy's idiocy. Kakashi dragged the Inuzuka off the field, and, judging by the Jonin's body language, he was far from pleased with his student's actions.

"I can't say I blame him; Tsume's brat has a right to be pissed. But damn it if that moron should use that fucking brain of his for once and think things through! What the hell does he think this is gonna do for Konoha's rep? For his clan's reputation!" Anko owed a lot to Tsume and hated that Kiba's blunder would not reflect well on her since he was the clan head's son.

"Her speed is insane. She's faster than even you Anko-sensei," Anko forwent telling her student that if she used her seal she'd match or surpass the woman's speed.

"Shit! Now I remember," Team Eight heard Anko mutter; seeing their looks, the woman elaborated, "Nii isn't a family name it's the name of clan in Kumo, one that has pretty close ties with the village Kage."

"So they're a powerful clan?" Hinata asked.

Anko shrugged but said, "They ain't as well known but then again Kumo's always been pretty hush-hush on their clans. What I do know is that they're one of Kumo's founding clans and the best way I can describe em is that they're Kumo's version of Konoha's Nara Clan; not as smart but just as calculating and very methodical in their wins."

"Oh, yeah," Ino commented. "Going up against someone from that kind of clan with his attitude; Kiba was screwed from the beginning."

Off to the side, Karui snorted, "She's obviously never met, Atsui."

Their step in instructor frowned but couldn't refute the claim; Yugito's youngest sibling, and Samui's twin brother, Atsui, was different compared to the other members of the clan. Then again, the odd trait was more common in males than the females of the clan.

"The next bout is about to begin! Up next are… Kitsuchi from Iwa versus… Kaguya Kimimaro from Oto!"

Eyes wide in disbelief, Zabuza couldn't help himself, " _A Kaguya! They're supposed to be extinct!"_

"A Kaguya? Weren't they the nut jobs that tried to take over Kiri and got their asses handed to them?" Suigetsu asked.

"If by ass handed to them you mean they took down more than a third of Kiri's forces before they went down then yes," Zabuza retorted; Suigetsu immediately shut up. Cocky as he was by nature and because his clan was one of Kiri's founding clans like Haku's own, Zabuza had literally beaten humility into the boy. Which hadn't been easy with his clan's liquefying ability.

"Haijime!"

Kimimaro sized up his opponent before he made his move. Kitsuchi on the other hand charged head on like a bull. The boy was tall for his age but not as tall as his teammate Akatsuchi and he was much leaner, too. And he decided to use that to his advantage over his smaller opponent.

In the stands Hiruzen saw the sequence of seals: Snake → Ram → Dog → Rat → Snake → Tiger and knew which technique the boy was about to be use next, " **Doton: Kengan no Justu** (Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique)!"

The boy brought down the rock-covered fist like a hammer on an anvil: fast, furious, and precise. Dirt and dust were kicked up and the ground caved in due to the powerful blow. From the stands the other contestants could feel the vibration of the blow and a few were glad to have not been the boy's opponent. That thought changed when the dust dissipated and Kimimaro wasn't under Kitsuchi's fist.

" **Teshi Sendan** (Ten-Finger Drilling Bullet)," a voice muttered softly. From his hand small white objects shot out from a nearby dust cloud.

Kitsuchi retaliated by saying; " **Kengan: Tate** (Fist Rock: Shield)!" quickly did the rock covered fist morph into a large tower shield that covered the Iwa Genin's body and then some as the white bullets made contact. He was safe.

"GAAAAHHHH!"

To the surprise of many, however, the blanket of rock did nothing to stop the bone bullets from piercing through and make contact with his body.

"Shit! A Kaguya with the Shikotsumyaku," while he never saw the rare manifesting ability of the Kaguya, Zabuza had been informed of its deadliness nonetheless. The bloodline limit allowed one to manipulate their bones to be as light as an ordinary one but be stronger than tempered steel and even turn them into deadly weapons.

"Zabuza-sensei," the man looked at his blue haired student, "the Shikotsumyaku can be countered, right?"

"Yeah… but not through conventional defense techniques," Zabuza wasn't going to beat around the bush. Normal defense technique weren't going to be enough to stop Shikotsumyaku based attacks. As was evident before them.

To their further surprise, Kitsuchi's form stiffened, browned, and crumpled up into various pieces until his form was no more.

"Rock Clone," Naruto surmised and guessed the boy had used the dust cloud to cover his strategy. It was a basic bait and switch technique Naruto had used during his pranks. It was simple but effective. But it also made one wonder where the true Kitsuchi was.

The question on almost everyone's mind was answered seconds later, " **Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu** (Earth Release: Hiding like a Mole Technique)!" from behind Kimimaro did Kitsuchi suddenly appear and grab the Kaguya in a bone crushing bear hug without hopes of escape.

Naruto and several others frowned. The blond gazed over at Kimimaro's teammates and both had identical smirks on their face as though they knew what was coming next. Their looks weren't pleasant either; they were sadistic. Naruto immediately knew that something was wrong, something bad was about to happen.

" **Karamatsu no Mai** (Dance of the Larch)," Naruto's instincts were proven right.

The stands became wide eyed as a large amount of bone-white spikes popped out of Kimimaro's body; dozens of them were coated red as they pierced Kitsuchi's frozen and gurgling form: a bone had pierced his throat.

"Kitsuchi!" Akatsuchi shouted; Kurotsuchi was wide eyed.

But the boy didn't respond. Retracting his bones, Kimimaro casually got out of the bear hug and the crowd watched as the boy fell to the ground, a large puddle of blood swiftly forming under him.

"Proctor. This match is over," Kimimaro told a still stunned Hayate. While deaths during the exams weren't uncommon, deaths during this half were rare, rarer still for willingly killing another without a second thought.

Appearing next to the downed Genin, Hayate placed his fingers on his neck but found not even the most miniscule response, "Damn… Winner by death, Kaguya Kimimaro of Oto!"

Quiet a few Genin paled as they saw the boy's corpse being taken away by the medics. Zabuza frowned as he noticed that quite a few of the paling Genin were from Konoha, " _Konoha's standards have fallen_."

But the man pushed thought aside and wondered how he was to tell Mei that a Kaguya was still alive – and with an active bloodline limit nonetheless – and a ninja for another village. He idly wondered how she was going to handle the situation, too, " _Great. Fucking paperwork,_ " give him an S-Rank mission, a suicide run, or even a war and Zabuza would gladly choose any one of them over paperwork. He was a killer not a pencil pusher.

"Everyone the next bout is about to commence," unfortunate as the death of a Genin was the exams had to go on regardless, "Up next will be Tayuya of Oto versus… Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha!"

"Yes! Let's go Hotto!" Naruto shouted and his partner barked.

Many had a case of deja-vu as they saw this; those that didn't know Naruto very well thought him to be like Kiba and assumed the fight was about to end one-sidedly once more for the red headed kunoichi.

" _Okay, let's see what we're up against,_ " Naruto muttered and used **Observe** on the girl.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Tayuya**

 **Level: 33 Next Level: 23471/48,000**

 **HP: 2500**

 **CP: 2875**

 **STR: 79**

 **VIT: 100**

 **DEX: 137**

 **INT: 115**

 **WIS: 191**

 **LUK: 33**

 **DEF: 42**

 **Money: 0**

 **Stats: 0**

* * *

Naruto frowned; despite her level Tayuya's stats were pretty basic, though her WIS was very high by comparison. However, what really caught his eye was the girl's special perk: **Cursed Seal – Level One & Two (Inactive)**

" _Uh-oh,_ " Naruto didn't like what he saw regarding the Level Two. Level One of Anko's Cursed Seal was trouble enough; who knew what would happen if that second level thing was activated. If push came to shove Naruto would be forced to use his newest skill.

"Hajime!"

Tayuya started the fight off by smirking and bringing out a flute, "Sweet dreams, blondie. Anyone that's heard my demonic flute never lived to tell about it," she bragged.

Naruto merely blinked, "Uh…well, that's a load of bull. I mean, you probably train, right? So your team's likely heard it and they ain't dead. Unless they're zombies… They're not zombies… are they?" many above couldn't help but deadpan at the comment.

Hiruzen couldn't help but chuckle, " _Improved as he is, Naruto will always be Naruto it seems_ ," he mused. Some ways away, Anko and Hinata laughed while Ino rolled her eyes but had an amused looked on her face.

" _How is that he's no longer Dead Last but still act like such an idiot!_ " a recovered Sakura couldn't help herself, while her Uchiha teammate was thinking the same thing.

Tayuya, however, wasn't amused, cursed and looked flustered; her team noticed this and knew what came next, "Fuck you asshole!" she shouted and then brought the flute to her lips and began playing at an incredible rate. Naruto watched as the world around him began to contort but wasn't really worried.

 **Gamer's Mind in Effect!**

" _This is seriously_ _an amazing OP skill_ ," Naruto thought as the world around him shattered. Call it unfair to those who dedicated their time and devotion to genjutsu and learning how to dispel it but Naruto didn't care. As a ninja it simply meant he had a serious advantage others didn't.

As Tayuya continued to play her flute,Naruto merely yawned which caused said kunoichi to stop, "You done? Flute isn't exactly my kind of music, you know," he told her. While Naruto could have done the same against Mizuki's crazy girlfriend and taken advantage of the situation, the Gamer ninja wanted a challenge.

Tayuya, now realizing her technique didn't work, couldn't help herself, "What the fuck! That should have given you shit yourself nightmare!" Tayuya shouted. No one in the Sound Five except for Kimimaro had been able to escape her genjutsu so easily. And her opponent made it look even easier. Her team was surprised; Orochimaru even more so.

" _Could it be the Kyubi?_ " the man mused. During his time with the Akatsuki such a thing wasn't unheard of but that was when a jinchuriki had control over their Biju, something Orochimaru believed Naruto lacked. Even among jinchuriki such a feat was incredible rare.

" _Nibi_?" Yugito frowned and asked her tenant. The illusion she had sensed was formidable and the Konoha Genin had broken it way too easily in her opinion.

" **Hmm, interesting."**

" _Want to clue me in, furball?_ " Yugito asked thevain and lazy two-tailed monster cat.

" **Not really,** " Nibi told her jailor.

Yugito would have face planted had she not gotten used to her tenant's antics. Nibi was a fickle Tailed Beast, being cooperative one moment and the exact opposite the next.

She, for that was how the Biju identified herself despite being genderless by nature, had a better relationship with her jinchuriki, past and present, compared to her siblings. But Yugito was no fool. Nibi would not hesitate to escape from her prison if the chance presented itself; she and Yugito were close but the Biju had a greater desire for freedom. It was a rather complex relationship.

Yugito knew that the boy was the Kyubi jinchuriki; Kumo had kept a close eye on Konoha and it had been easy for their spies to found out who it was. But no report ever indicated that he had a bond with the Biju similar to herself and Kira B, " _A-sama will want to hear about this,_ " she realized and decided to pay closer attention to the match.

Asuma and Kurenai were still in disbelief but what transpired. As a genjutsu master the woman knew that sound based illusions were not easy to break out of. The woman doubted even Sakura could have broken out of it that easily at that age; at his age Kurenai knew even she'd be unable to do it so quickly, " _What has Anko been teaching her team?_ "

With her initial plan down the drain, Tayuya was forced to go with plan B. Unless it was collaboration based, the Oto kunoichi's skill in ninjutsu was unfortunately not her strongest suit. However, she was very fast, nimble, and evasive; she was capable of performing leaps and flips that rivalled a cat and her built buried her incredible strength.

Rushing towards her opponent, Naruto merely ducked, blocked and parried the red haired kunoichi's attacks with ease. The blond didn't even bother taking out his sword and kanabo and merely used a kunai instead to block her surprisingly durable flute.

" _Must be some kind of metal_ ," Naruto surmised before he lashed out with a kick that Tayuya barely managed to block. Even then it had enough force to send her halfway across the arena. Tayuya winced at the pain in her arms but countered nonetheless by blowing into her flute and watched as a cloud of dust blanketed the area. The **Chirigakure no Jutsu** (Hiding Among the Dust Technique) being one of the few ninjutsu she was decent at.

Realizing – hating the thought of it, too – that the Konoha Genin outmatched her, Tayuya quickly popped a pill into her mouth. Orochimaru had been quite clear: under no circumstances was she to use the Cursed Seal in this half of the exam. Soon a thick aura of blue enveloped her before she performed her next move as Naruto cleared the area with a wind technique, " **Kuchiyose no Jutsu**!"

"The hell are those?" Ino could not help herself as the summons came into view.

Tayuya merely smirked as she eyed her prey, "Genjutsu may not work on ya, fuckwad. But I guarantee broken bones will make you."

Naruto frowned as he looked at the summons stats, " _Okay, summons are called Doki and their INT and WIS are zero but their STR, VIT, and DEX are through the roof!_ " Naruto wasn't surprised considering they were oni, brainless oni but oni still. Matters were only worse when Naruto realized their perks many them very resistant to ninjutsu and bukijutsu. " _Shit, I was hoping I could save this for later._ "

"Hey, fuck nuts!" Tayuya shouted, "Did you hear what I said! Give up and go home to your mommy and I won't – "

Having enough of the stereotypical monologue, Naruto blazed through a set of hand seals and declared, " **Kuchiyose no Jutsu!** " and prayed whomever he summoned was in a good mood.

"The hell!" Ino and Anko could help themselves. Since when did Naruto have the time to learn how to summon?

The figure that appeared was bulging with muscles and hulking, towering over the Oto Kunoichi's Doki. It possessed dark blue skin, otherworldly bright white eyes, hair and a beard as black as night, and a set of horns that matched its skin. It took everyone a while to realize that Uzumaki Naruto had summoned an oni of his own.

And he was naked.

" **Who dares summon me!"** the demon bellowed, scanning the area for its summoner.

"Uh, that would be me…" Naruto nearly flinched as the demon locked eyes on him.

The oni looked him over before he spoke, " **So you're the human that signed our contract after kami knows how long**."

"Yeah… hi… uh I'm guessing it was a bad time to uh… yeah," Naruto couldn't finish the initial sentence and tried not to stare, failing miserably in the process. " _Well, that's gonna stay stuck in my head for a while,_ " in all honesty this wasn't how Naruto imagined his first summon.

" **No shit! Here I was having a nice fuck with three of the juiciest pieces of ass you'll ever see and some puny ass little shitstain interrupts my rump fest! Do you have any idea how long an oni ragger lasts? What the hell I'm I supposed to do with this fucking thing?"** he bellowed and pointed to his visible erection.

The demon's remark and actions floored everyone that was present. Their minds were unable to properly process what was happening before them; even Tayuya was taken aback by the demon's crass behaviour. The crowd had only seen him for less than a minute and he was easily the most crudest and salacious being they had ever met.

"… I like him!" Anko couldn't help herself.

The demon merely looked at Anko with appraisal before he give her body a look over, " **Nice tits, waist, and ass ratio, but too small for my taste.** **Much as I like wreaking my fucks I want em to live and tell everyone how mind blowing it was… The smoke stack looks decent enough,** " the comment had Asuma turn a shade that put Orochimaru to shame and hid behind a scarlet looking Kurenai.

"Don't know him all that well but I'm pretty sure he's not interested in guys," Naruto said.

" **Neither am I but a decent fuck is a fuck still, ya little shit,"** the oni told him; Asuma felt his ass clench to epic proportions.

"OKAY, SERIOUSLY! WHAT THE HELL KIND OF CONVERSATION IS THIS!" a flustered Sakura could no longer hold it in. Ino could only nod in agreement; she took after her teacher but even this was too much for her. "CAN WE GET ON WITH THE FIGHTING ALREADY! AND PUT SOME DAMN CLOTHES ON YOU PERVERT!"

" **I AIN'T NO STICKIN PERVERT, PINKY!"** the oni shouted back with greater intensity.

However, the look in his eye and the smirk he developed had Hiruzen thinking, " _Oh, for the love of kami please don't–"_

" **I'M THE DEMON KING OF PERVERTS**!" the oni proudly announced; his body glowing, his penis still erect.

Had guests and other ninja from other villages not been present Hiruzen would have face planted then and there. The man couldn't help as a groan managed to escape his lips, " _That's all I need. A demon version of Jiraiya,_ " why did Naruto have to give him such migraines? On the plus side at least this wasn't a month from now.

"Ya can be King of the Fairies for all I care and it still wont matter, ya cocksuckers," Tayuya declared, bringing her flute to her lips to give her summons orders. The girl barely exhaled as killing intent flooded the room like a tidal wave and she fell to the floor shaking and barely conscious.

"… **What in the name of Shutendōji-sama have you done to my fallen brethren you little cunt!"** the demon bellowed; killing intent intensified and armour – which included pants, thank god – and a wickedly large sword materialized around his waist as he saw the three defiled oni. " **Boy, I'll forgo my price this once. Her death for this is all I need,"** he told him and moved for the kill.

"Hold it! No killing!" Naruto ordered and partial regretted the action as the killing intent was now directed at him. That is until the Gamer's Mind quickly kicked in.

" **You want to run that by me again,** " the demon growled but was internally surprised by his lack of reaction to his killing intent. " **Give me a reason why I shouldn't beat you within an inch of your life after I kill her?** "

Naruto honestly couldn't think of anything to appease the demon. When he had decided to perform the summoning technique and expect to land in a realm of summons, pass their test and 'boom' get a summon of his own. The Gamer got a scroll instead. When he read that it said oni the blond had eagerly signed, especially if they were anything like their video game and legend counterparts.

The blond should have known nothing would be so easy going. Now he had a semi-naked and raging oni – the thought still fresh in his brain. So the blond opted to do something he was good at: lie out of his ass. "I'm the boss here. I summoned you! You got a problem with that take it somewhere else or go back to where you came from. I'll do it on my own if you won't help me. You wanna kill me; I won't go down without a fight."

The oni said nothing but continued to stare into Naruto's eyes; he saw conviction, guts, and an inner strength beyond what should be present in a boy his age should have. The demon was impressed, " **… You got guts, kid; I'll give ya that. Summoner or no, I'd spill em for standing in my way of my kill but I'll let you off just this once. Gloves are coming off if you do it again, ya hear!"**

Summoner or no the oni had his own code and were Naruto not the oni clan's only summoner in centuries, even more due to the time flow difference between the two realms, Goryō was under strict orders not to kill him, at least for now. But the boy didn't need to know that. Time would tell if the boy was worthy of being his clan's summoner.

"Crystal," Naruto told the demon. Speaking of which, "What's your name?"

" **Haien no Goryō** (Goryō of the Abolishing Flames)," the newly identified Goryo told him and gave Tayuya a look that sent shivers down her spine; the sweat became more pronounced when his sword dark blue flames.

 **Haien** (Abolishing Flames)

The Abolishing Flames is a technique unique to the Oni Clan of the summoning world. The flames are ranked third among the hottest of fires and are capable of reducing virtually anything they touch to ash within seconds. However, the amount of chakra and control required is beyond even above average Jonin due to the flames' origin. Even then only those with exceptional willpower can properly use the flames without harming themselves and unintentional targets or falling victim to its influence.

" _Note to self: don't piss him off too much and learn that technique,_ " it looked and sounded awesome in Naruto opinion. The flames didn't worry him so much due to his cloak. It had more to do with the sword they covered. Case and point, the oni with the large kanabo and the one with that looked like a mummy that appeared in front of them, at speeds not thought possible for something of their size and bulk, didn't know what hit them.

" **Oni-Ittoryu: Haien Zanha** (Oni-Single Sword Style: Abolishing Fire Slash Wave)!" quicker than most of the Genin could see, even some of the Jonin were surprised by the speed, Goryō sliced through the demons as though they weren't there and sent a wave of dark fire that nearly ended Tayuya's life had her remaining demon not protected her. They looked like a set of puppets with their strings cut off and everyone watched as their top half fell to the ground one way while the other fell in the opposite direction.

Blackened and bubbling organs fell out at and the more sheltered Genin in the stands became uncomfortable at the sight. Though slightly uncomfortable Sasuke steeled his resolve. As an Uchiha he was intrigued by the fire technique he had just seen and the results spoke for themselves; he was caught off guard as the same dark blue flames that covered the sword soon engulfed the top and lower half of the bifurcated bodies.

"Okay, that was awesome," was all Naruto could say.

" **Glad you liked that,** " Goryō sheathed his sword, confusing Naruto, and then went off to the side, sat down, and took out a gourd. " **I've done my part. Those two are all yours."**

"WHAT!" Naruto couldn't believe his rotten luck, "WHAT KINDA SUMMON DOES THAT?"

Those in the stands that had summons of their own – both enemy and ally alike – couldn't help but sympathize with the boy, " _Welcome to the joys of being a summoner._ "

" **Don't care. We oni value strength and guts; good luck earning our loyalty and respect if you have us fight all your battles for you. You gotta pass a series of tests if you wanna be our summoner. Start by beating those two without me. That doki's a shell of what it used to be as an oni but even for a human it will still be tough to defeat physically; beat it and you'll earn a few points. If ya fail, I'll end it myself and tell the elders you gave it a good try… maybe,"** probably not.

"Wow, you're a real asshole," Naruto told him.

" **Yeah, well I'm still pissed you took me away from my fuckfest,** ** _"_** the demon didn't deny it and took a large swig. " **Well, chop-chop, ningen**. **Make it a good one, too."**

* * *

 **[QUEST ALERT!]**

 **To Become a Summoner - Part 1**

 **Main Quest: Defeat Tayuya and her last remaining Doki**

 **Hidden Quest: ?**

 **Main Quest Completion: 4500 Exp, +300 Rep with Goryo, To Become a Summoner - Part 2 Quest**

 **Hidden Quest Completion: ?, ?**

 **Failure: 165 Exp, -300 Rep with Goryo, Possible Death or Crippling Injury, Summoning Contract Becomes Null and Void**

 **Accept? (Yes/No)**

 **PS. Not accepting this quest will render summoning contract null and void.**

* * *

Knowing he had no real choice in the matter, Naruto accepted the quest. Meanwhile, Tayuya, who had been sweating like mad due to her near brush with death, along with the intense heat from the flames, couldn't help but laugh, "Bad luck for you shit for brains."

Having enough of her taunts, Naruto interrupted by shouting, "Oh, go suck a cock will ya!" much to Tayuya's surprise; few shot back vulgarity at her. "Let's get on with it already. The sooner I kick your ass the sooner I stop hearing you spout shit at me. Hotto!"

"Arf!" the ninken bark but soon felt himself grabbed by the scruff.

" **Nope! This fight is all you, boy! No outside help allowed,"** Goryō intervened. When Hotto tried to break free the demon splashed whatever liquid he was drinking into the dog's face, the contents being strong enough to knock out the ninken within seconds.

" _Ah, fantastic,_ " Naruto mentally deadpanned. " _Okay, my partner's out for the count. My ninjutsu ain't gonna be of much help her thanks to its perks, so that leaves my weapons and taijutsu,_ " of which one was on its last leg. However, Naruto spotted a suitable replacement.

* * *

 **Title-less Doki's Great Iron Mace – Common Quality**

 **Blunt Weapon**

 **Durability 150/150**

 **An incredibly large and studded club made of unknown black metal. Despite its size being twice the height of an average person, the weight of the weapon is much lighter than it appears. In the hands of a physically imposing individual it's capable of incredible destruction and its unique composition enhances certain abilities of its wielder. A downside to it is that most can only wield it with two hands and reduces the user's speed unless they, too, are of incredible size and possess prodigious strength. In addition, while impressive, the oni possess even greater weapons.**

 **Attack Power: 160-197**

 **Bonus Stats: +35 STR during combat, +50% Increase towards Power and Effectiveness towards Blunt Weapon Techniques, Decreases movement speed during combat by 15%, 50% Increases towards of causing Concussive Status Effect, 30% Increase towards of causing Crippling Status Effect**

 **Requirements: +110 STR**

* * *

Empowering himself with the **Kongoriki** (Adamantine Strength), Naruto grabbed and lifted the cumbersome – less cumbersome now due to his STR boost – with both hands and gave it a practice swing to the ground.

" **Kyodai Saigasho** (Titan's Crushing Fang Impact)!"

The entire floor gave way, the entire arena shook and many lost their balance in the process. Off to the side, Goryo boomed out laughing, " _Looks like the brat may be worthy after all,_ " he thought; he decided maybe the match was worth watching after all.

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Level: 39 Next Level: 11,132/62,400**

 **HP: 8000**

 **CP: 12525**

 **STR: 166**

 **VIT: 257**

 **DEX: 252**

 **INT: 393**

 **WIS: 173**

 **LUK: ?**

 **DEF: 115**

 **Attribute Points: 0**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hottomaru**

 **Level: 32 Next Level: 11,349/38,800**

 **HP: (3075/3075)**

 **CP: (1800/1800)**

 **STR: 74**

 **VIT: 116 (7) = 123**

 **DEX: 117**

 **INT: 72**

 **WIS: 61**

 **LUK: 38**

 **DEF: 70**

 **Attribute Points: 0**

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Yamanaka Ino**

 **Level: 34 Next Level: 12,969/51,400**

 **HP: 1975**

 **CP: 2375**

 **STR: 85**

 **VIT: 79**

 **DEX: 143**

 **INT: 94**

 **WIS: 215**

 **LUK: 33**

 **DEF: 65**

 **Stats: 0**

 **Money:** 795,460 Ryo (79,546$)

* * *

 **Status Window**

 **Name: Hyuga Hinata**

 **Level: 34 Next Level: 15,471/51,400**

 **HP: 3125**

 **CP: 2525**

 **STR: 53**

 **VIT: 125**

 **DEX: 169**

 **INT: 101**

 **WIS: 237**

 **LUK: 35**

 **DEF: 70**

 **Money:** 1,178,456 Ryo (117,845.60$)

 **Stats: 0**

* * *

 **Sorry it took a little longer than expected. But here ya go. One more chapter and then I focus on my Harry Potter Gamer. Expect an update in two or three weeks. Now for the Oni, while the word is used interchangeably with yokai, demon etc, Oni is specific to the Red and Blue ogre like demons from Japanese mythology (look em up). So no, Naruto won't have a wide arrange of demons to command such as kappa, kitsunes, wolf demons or any of that. Just Oni which is a type of demon some.**

 **They won't be OP, strong as hell and have unique skills since they are demonic in nature but what they lack in one area other summons such as the toads or snakes can be way better at. And in the Naruto universe, yokai do exist, please look it up in the wikia, but aren't as prominent and I will explain my version of why that is in the following chapters.**

 **Ps**. **For those who feel Tayuya is underpowered, she's a high Chunin ninja at best at the moment since this is months (about four or five) before the Sasuke retrieval arc, she has room to be more powerful. And let's not forget she's not allowed to use her curse seal one and two which greatly boost her power to Jonin levels, and even then she and her group called it close in the manga.**

 **Now for Samui, I de-aged her and the reason why she is so strong is because we don't know much about her skill set other than she was considered a very remarkable and highly competent Jonin the Raikage trusted. So I am playing a bit with her skill set a bit here, but I won't be making her OP. Kiba was a hot head and it bit him in the ass. More about her will be explained later on.**


End file.
